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'Inadequate' council forecasts £7.9m overspend due to children’s services pressures

1 min read Social Care
North East Lincolnshire Council is predicting it will overspend its budget for the current financial year by £7.9m due to pressures on its children and family social care budget.
North East Lincolnshire Council has developed a range of measures to reduce children's social care costs. Photo: AdobeStock
North East Lincolnshire Council has developed a range of measures to reduce children's social care costs. Photo: AdobeStock

The council, whose children's services department was rated "inadequate" by Ofsted last November, has made the estimate in documents to be considered by councillors next week.

These documents reveal that the overspend “largely reflects the on-going demands being experienced within children’s services”.

While its children and family services budget for 2022/23 is £50.3m it is forecast to spend £58.3m.

Factors in the increased financial pressures include supporting rising numbers of looked-after children, which is “above where we would expect” and is being “exacerbated by a lack of local placements”.

An “increasing reliance on agency staffing”, is another factor in the overspend, according to the documents.

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