Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the reasons for changes in the looked after children rate in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) the UK since 2009-10.

The numbers of children looked-after and the rate per 10,000 children under 18 years in Newcastle upon Tyne and England are as follows:

Source: SSDA903

1. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.

2. England and Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local authority figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

3. The rates per 10,000 children under 18 years have been derived using the mid-year population estimates provided by the Office for National Statistics.

The rate of referrals to children’s services has also increased over that time.

Source: Children in need census

1. If a child has more than one referral in the year then each referral will be counted.

2. An initial assessment is defined as a brief assessment of each child referred to children's social care with a request for services to be provided. If a child was the subject of more than one initial assessment during the reporting year, each assessment should be coded separately.

3. Rates have not been calculated for 2013-14 as many local authorities have completed initial assessments for only part of the year and have moved to completing continuous assessments.

It is for local authorities and the courts to determine when a child is to become looked-after.

The looked-after population is the largest it has been for some time. This can be explained in part by demographic changes (the population of under 18s has steadily increased over recent years). However, there has also been a rise in the proportion of children who are looked-after over recent years, and the rate of referrals is also considerably higher now than it was in 2010. The impact of recent high profile cases is one possible explanation and local authorities are clearly taking firm and timely action where they assess that there is a risk of significant harm to children. In addition, the Department for Education issued revised statutory guidance on ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ in 2013, which reinforced the need for professionals to make referrals whenever it is considered that a child may be in need (as defined in the Children Act 1989), or where the child has suffered significant harm or is likely to do so.[1] The safety of children at risk must always be the paramount concern for LAs

[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children