90 in 10,000 children under 18 are looked after (54 on average in England)
13% of children looked after as a result of family dysfunction (10 per cent in England)
7% of looked-after children end up in homes and hostels (13 per cent in England)
53% of care leavers gain at least one GCSE A*-G or GNVQ (41 per cent in England)
Plymouth Council has invited an external team of experts to help improve its social services. Chris Pattison, social services portfolio holder, said he hoped the performance action team would help the council tackle many of the problems of deprivation.
One major problem to be addressed is the recruitment of qualified social workers.
Source: Department of Health census 2001.
