Local economics and children's services standards 'central to lower care rates'

Research conducted for the What Works Centre for Children's Social Care found that while 60 per cent of local authorities saw an average rise in the rate of looked-after children between 2012 and 2017, four per cent had no change, and 36 per cent experienced a fall.

London saw the sharpest decrease in the rate of children in care over the five-year period, bucking the national trend. The sharpest increase was seen in the North East.

The report found that three common factors associated with councils that experienced a fall in rates - a decrease in poverty over time, participation in the Department for Education's Social Care Innovation Programme, and higher Ofsted ratings for children's services.

"Our interpretation is that both economic factors and service quality matter. The average change in the proportion of lowest income families in a local authority from the start of the recession was the factor most strongly associated with change in care rates," said Professor Jonathan Scourfield, deputy director of the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (Cascade), the research partner for the What Works Centre.