A report by the all-party parliamentary group for children - a cross-party group of MPs and peers - found that councils are increasingly focusing their limited resources on children who have already suffered abuse, neglect or are at high risk of harm, rather than attempting to intervene in cases at an early stage.
A survey of directors of children's services by the group found that 89 per cent find it "increasingly difficult to fulfil their duties to children in need". The report also asserts that children's social care is being undermined by staff shortages, high turnover, and a reliance on agency staff.
Meanwhile, the inquiry found "wildly different" approaches to early intervention, the way vulnerable children are identified, and rates of children taken into care, from one area to the next.
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