Council warning over number of children in care

The high number of children in the care of Redcar and Cleveland Council has been deemed a "red risk"

A formal warning has been issued by a council over the increased number of children in its care.

A Redcar and Cleveland Council report said there had been a significant rise, with some having "unprecedented" levels of complex needs.

It warned if demands for services were not met it could create "significant safeguarding concerns".

The report added support was in place to make children safe within families, and that recruitment of in-house foster carers was continuing.

The council, which is run by Labour as a minority administration, has labelled the issue a "red risk" in its corporate risk register and warned that failing to meet demands could mean it fails to "fulfil its statutory obligations".

The report added: "This could include lack of adequate and suitable placements, locally or regionally.

"There is also the risk of having no alternative other than to use unregulated placements or provision."

The council report said work is being done to improve safety in families to allow children to stay at home where possible.

It is also recruiting in-house foster carers, which is regarded as the most cost-effective way to meet the needs of some children, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Children’s social care has been described as the number one cost to the council, which is grappling with an estimated £4.6m overspend in its 2023-24 budget.

A report by the council's chief executive John Sampson in 2023 revealed that £9.6m would be spent on supporting vulnerable children this current financial year.

It also showed that in June there were 39 children in residential care placements, each costing an average of £366,000 a year.

Since April 2023 numbers had remained steady but were still higher than they had been over the past five years.