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Bradford child protection services see cases “double” in one year (3 July 2014)

Date: 03/07/2014
Duncan Lewis, Child Care Solicitors, Bradford child protection services see cases “double” in one year

The number of child protection cases in Bradford has almost doubled within a year.

Local publisher the Telegraph and Argus reports that the latest figure of 675 cases so far this year frequently involves Eastern European families who have settled in the area.

Last year, there were 370 child protection plans put in place – but by February, this year’s figure had reached 550.

The figures came to light after local councillors read an Ofsted report, which advised improvements to early-stage intervention in child protection cases and an overall improvement in child protection measures by Bradford Council.

Ofsted inspectors found that only 20% of case conferences were held within the 15-day target for holding an initial conference after the start of an investigation.

However, in Yorkshire, Bradford is the only city which has seen such a significant rise in the number of child protection cases it handles – and child protection staff have been placed under pressure as a result.

Chairman of the children's services scrutiny committee, Councillor Malcolm Sykes, told the Telegraph and Argus that he expected improvements in children’s services in line with Ofsted’s recommendations:

“I want to see progress against the actions next time around,” said Cllr Sykes.

"We cannot risk this going wrong – we cannot afford to have children at risk through a lack of resources.”

The committee will review progress on the Ofsted recommendations in the autumn, as well as looking at the issue of the escalating number of cases child protection services in Bradford are dealing with.

The Ofsted report investigated five areas of the council’s child protection services – adoption, care leavers, leadership and governance and the Bradford Safeguarding Board – and their performance was judged as “good”.

The assistant director of children's specialist services, Julie Jenkins, said that additional resources had helped restore the 15-day target on case conferences to 66% of deadlines being met.

Ms Jenkins added that she had written to Ofsted to point out several contradictions in the report.

"I wrote to Ofsted and said they had contradicted themselves by saying in places we had dealt with neglect – and in other places that we had not," she said.

The council was rated “good” in five out of six areas – and was praised for its efforts to tackle sexual grooming.

However, in its report, Ofsted had said that improvement to overall services was needed in some areas, because of the way in which the council dealt with vulnerable children.

It is also reported that – as well as the huge increase in the number of child protection cases social workers in Bradford are handling – Bradford Council currently has no social workers of eastern European background to work with families from Eastern Europe who have settled in the area.

The council is also experiencing problems recruiting minute takers able to handle the material discussed at conferences.

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For expert legal advice on children law and childcare matters, contact Duncan Lewis childcare solicitors on 020 7923 4020.


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