Norfolk County Council, which was given the inspectorate's lowest rating for the second time in two years in October 2015, said looked-after children's numbers have increased consistently over the past five years from approximately 1,015 in March 2012 to 1,107 in March 2017 - an increase of 9.1 per cent.
It said that while looked-after children numbers have risen nationally over the period, the rate of the Norfolk increase has been faster than in other local authorities, with Norfolk looking after 65.9 children per 10,000 head of child population as of 31 March 2017, and similar authorities to Norfolk averaging 52.5.
The additional investment will be focused on early intervention support to prevent children coming into care. This will include an increase in the range of specialist help available to vulnerable families, including therapeutic support.
The council estimates that without the additional investment, its looked-after children population will continue to rise, costing an estimated £5m extra a year by 2021/22.
The money will be released over the next four years from the council's central budget and will also be used to improve its in-house fostering provision, as well as reduce its use of independent fostering agencies and residential care. This includes a foster carer recruitment campaign and the development of specialist fostering services.
A report on the plans will go before members of the council's policy and resources committee next Monday (25 September) for sign off.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
