North of England councils face ‘£25bn children in care burden’, claims report
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Councils in the North of England are paying an extra £25bn to place children in care compared with local authorities in the South, a report is claiming.
It found that if councils in the North of England had experienced the same children in care entry rates as those in the South of England between 2019 and 2023 they would have saved at least £25bn in lifetime support.
The findings are based on children in care figures, which show the North of England rate is 93 per 10,000 children, compared with 62 for other areas in the country.
The North East has the highest rate, followed by the North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Among the worst impacted areas are Blackpool, where one in every 52 children is in care, and Hartlepool where one in 63 is in care. This compares to an England wide average of 140.
While the North accounts for 28% of children and 36% of children in care.
Two in five of England’s children’s homes are in the North, researchers found. The North West alone accounts for more than a quarter of residential care, they add.
A factor in the region’s disproportionate children in care costs is that more families in the North of England are failing into crisis through poverty, according to researchers.
They warn that continuing rises in child poverty rates could see even more children being taken into care, particularly in the North. It notes that 2015 and 2020 an additional 10,000 children entered care.
The links between racial inequality, poverty and care is also highlighted by the research.
In 2015 children in the most deprived areas were over 10 times more likely to be in care than those in the least deprived. Meanwhile, mixed heritage families experience higher levels of poverty and health inequality, say researchers.
They also found that Black Caribbean children are more likely than others in care to be placed far from home. This group, as well as those from White Traveller of Irish heritage communities, are more likely to experience multiple placements.
The findings have been published by Health Equity North on behalf of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
The group is calling on the government to introduce measures to cut child poverty, invest in prevention strategies and improve help for older children and those leaving care.
They also want to see joint anti-racism and anti-poverty policies introduced.
THREAD
— Child of the North (@ChildoftheNort1) April 17, 2024
A new Child of the North APPG report published today by @_HENorth reveals the disproportionately high rates of children in care in the North and the £25bn cost placed on stretched services@UniOfYork @LivUni @EmmaLewellBuck @MaryRobinson01https://t.co/Mmbl3xuEzS pic.twitter.com/waLZJdp70I
“Our report has exposed the deeply rooted social inequalities reflected in, and exacerbated by, the child welfare system,” said lead author Dr Davara Bennett from the University of Liverpool.
“These need to be tackled head-on by policymakers. Local authorities are trapped in a cycle of ever greater spend on children in care, at the expense of investment in effective support for families in need.
“The evidence shows the damage caused by cuts to prevention and failure to address the very real problem of child poverty in the North.”
Child of the North APPG co-chair Emma Lewell-Buck, who is Labour MP for South Shields, added: “When children and families aren’t given the right support the consequences and damage done can last a lifetime.
“In my region specifically, shameful levels of poverty coupled with underinvestment has led to dramatically disproportionate rises in the number of children in care, compared to the south.”
