Sky News
Updated Tue, 16 April 2024
One in every 52 children in Blackpool is in care compared with one in 140 across England, according to new analysis which researchers said exposes "deeply rooted social inequalities".
The report also found the North of England accounts for just over a quarter (28%) of the child population, but more than a third (36%) of the children in care, the analysis by the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) said.
Professor David Taylor, the co-author of the report, said the findings reflect a "doom loop", with poverty pushing children into the care system at an additional cost to local and national government.
He said: "Cuts to prevention services, things like Sure Start, family support, investment in youth services have been cut, particularly in the areas where they're needed most.
"In those places poverty has gone up, that's increased the number of children in the care system and it's putting incredible pressure on health and care systems."
The report was researched and funded by Health Equity North - an organisation focused on finding solutions to public health problems and health inequalities across the North of England. It used existing data including official statistics and academic studies.
The analysis also suggested the higher rates of children entering care are estimated to have cost the North at least £25bn more in the past four years.
In the light of the report's findings, APPG members and the report authors have made a number of recommendations, including policies to reduce child poverty such as scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap, as well as more investment in prevention strategies such as targeting additional investment in the North.
'A part of you ripped away'
One person who has benefited from this type of grassroots support, is Kirsty, a mother from Newcastle.
She became a mum at the age of 17. Her daughter was taken into care twice, in moments she described as "tragic".
"I've been through a lot in my life, but losing a child is the most traumatic, unexplainable feeling that I could ever imagine," she said.
"It's like having a part of you ripped away, then not understanding and not feeling good enough."
Kirsty previously struggled with a drug addiction and had been a victim of domestic abuse.
She was also previously homeless before eventually joining a narcotics anonymous group, and later being supported by Reform UK, an organisation in the area aimed at improving the outcomes of mothers at risk of child removal.
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Their work involves creating a "sisterhood" in the form of a safe space aimed at allowing women to share their experiences and finding them the right support for issues like addiction, domestic abuse and homelessness.
Reform's chief executive Amy Van Zyl feels the social care system needs to be better equipped and better funded to help people with complex needs.
She said: "Women who come to our service don't have friends and loved ones. What they gain when they come into our service is friends and loved ones, we can then signpost them to services."
Kirsty, who is speaking about her experiences at an event in Parliament on Wednesday, feels she could have benefited from early intervention.
She said: "If there was anything like Reform back then or anywhere else it would have made a massive difference.
"Because I felt like I was the only person, I felt like I not only failed me but I failed my family and I brought shame on everyone because I wasn't able to look after my child and that wasn't the case.
"All of the reports that were done by social services said that I was a good mum, and that I was really good with my daughter. It was just my lifestyle. I didn't have accommodation and my drug use and all that stuff could have been helped. It's curable."
In response to the report, a Department for Education spokesperson said: "Early intervention is at the core of our ambitious children's social care reforms - including a £45m investment in pilot areas across the UK to help us shape a future system where we provide families with the right support at the right time, delivered by the right people.
"For those leaving care, we are investing £250m over three years to help them succeed - providing housing, access to education, employment, and training."
One in 52 Blackpool children in care as poverty soars in north of England
Robyn Vinter
North of England correspondent
THE GUARDIAN
Tue, 16 April 2024
Blackpool (pictured) and Hartlepool had the highest rate of children in care.Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
One in every 52 children in Blackpool are in care compared with one in 140 across England, leading to calls for more to be done to urgently tackle the widening north-south divide, brought on by “decades of underinvestment”.
Nine in every thousand children are in care in the north, compared with six in the rest of England, according to a report by Health Equity North.
A total of £25bn of public money would have been saved between 2019 and 2023 if the north had the same care entry rates as the south, the report’s authors said.
Child poverty was the main factor in the disproportionate figures, with the north-east having the highest overall care rates, followed by the north-west, West Midlands and then Yorkshire and the Humber.
Blackpool was followed by Hartlepool, where the highest rate of children in care is one in 63.
The review of existing research, compiled for the child of the north all-party parliamentary group, found a 27% increase in the number of children’s homes between 2020 and 2023 disproportionately affected the north of England.
The north has 1,176 children’s homes – more than 40% of the children’s homes in England – with just 1,704 in the rest of England.
There were more than 83,000 children in care in England in 2023, with the report warning the risk of that number rising was high as health inequalities continued to widen and more and more families were falling into poverty, particularly in the north.
Related: North-south wealth inequality in England on course to grow, report finds
The rise in child poverty between 2015 and 2020 led to more than 10,000 additional children entering care – equivalent to one in 12 care entries over the period.
Dr Davara Bennett, the lead author of the report and head of public health, policy and systems at the University of Liverpool, said: “Our report has exposed the deeply rooted social inequalities reflected in, and exacerbated by, the child welfare system. These need to be tackled head-on by policymakers.”
Underinvestment has left councils “trapped in a cycle” of spending billions on looking after children in care at the expense of providing support for families in need, she said.
She added: “The evidence shows the damage caused by cuts to prevention and failure to address the very real problem of child poverty in the north.
“There are a number of policies that, if implemented, could help reduce the number of children entering care and improve the care and support children and families receive when in need. We urge government to hear our calls for action and commit to addressing them as a priority.”
Emma Lewell-Buck, the MP for South Shields and co-chair of the child of the north APPG, said: “As a former social worker, I have experienced first-hand the immense pressure placed on children’s services in the north. When children and families aren’t given the right support the consequences and damage done can last a lifetime. In my region specifically, shameful levels of poverty coupled with underinvestment has led to dramatically disproportionate rises in the number of children in care, compared with the south.
“Excellent social work happens every single day, yet this report highlights how valuable opportunities to improve social care for both children, families and those who work with them are being ignored. Our children deserve better.”
Tue, 16 April 2024
Blackpool (pictured) and Hartlepool had the highest rate of children in care.Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
One in every 52 children in Blackpool are in care compared with one in 140 across England, leading to calls for more to be done to urgently tackle the widening north-south divide, brought on by “decades of underinvestment”.
Nine in every thousand children are in care in the north, compared with six in the rest of England, according to a report by Health Equity North.
A total of £25bn of public money would have been saved between 2019 and 2023 if the north had the same care entry rates as the south, the report’s authors said.
Child poverty was the main factor in the disproportionate figures, with the north-east having the highest overall care rates, followed by the north-west, West Midlands and then Yorkshire and the Humber.
Blackpool was followed by Hartlepool, where the highest rate of children in care is one in 63.
The review of existing research, compiled for the child of the north all-party parliamentary group, found a 27% increase in the number of children’s homes between 2020 and 2023 disproportionately affected the north of England.
The north has 1,176 children’s homes – more than 40% of the children’s homes in England – with just 1,704 in the rest of England.
There were more than 83,000 children in care in England in 2023, with the report warning the risk of that number rising was high as health inequalities continued to widen and more and more families were falling into poverty, particularly in the north.
Related: North-south wealth inequality in England on course to grow, report finds
The rise in child poverty between 2015 and 2020 led to more than 10,000 additional children entering care – equivalent to one in 12 care entries over the period.
Dr Davara Bennett, the lead author of the report and head of public health, policy and systems at the University of Liverpool, said: “Our report has exposed the deeply rooted social inequalities reflected in, and exacerbated by, the child welfare system. These need to be tackled head-on by policymakers.”
Underinvestment has left councils “trapped in a cycle” of spending billions on looking after children in care at the expense of providing support for families in need, she said.
She added: “The evidence shows the damage caused by cuts to prevention and failure to address the very real problem of child poverty in the north.
“There are a number of policies that, if implemented, could help reduce the number of children entering care and improve the care and support children and families receive when in need. We urge government to hear our calls for action and commit to addressing them as a priority.”
Emma Lewell-Buck, the MP for South Shields and co-chair of the child of the north APPG, said: “As a former social worker, I have experienced first-hand the immense pressure placed on children’s services in the north. When children and families aren’t given the right support the consequences and damage done can last a lifetime. In my region specifically, shameful levels of poverty coupled with underinvestment has led to dramatically disproportionate rises in the number of children in care, compared with the south.
“Excellent social work happens every single day, yet this report highlights how valuable opportunities to improve social care for both children, families and those who work with them are being ignored. Our children deserve better.”
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