This is said to accompany a steep increase in the numbers of referrals to Manchester’s Children’s Social Care teams.
No service can cope well with fluctuations of this kind. It is extremely difficult to scale up staffing and facilities to handle this sort of increase and major problems - including redundancy- are encountered if subsequently activities return to previous levels. Inevitably front line staff will feel the brunt of the extra work and the pressure of unforeseen changes.
This is all part of a national trend. There has been a steady rise in child protection work in England since 2008. This may now be tailing off, with the increase from 2011 to 2012 being much less dramatic than in previous years. However the 2012 figure is 47% up on the 2008 figure, an alarming rise.
Children and young people subject of a Child
Protection Plan, England 2008-11
Type of abuse
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
Neglect
|
13,400
|
15,800
|
17,300
|
18,600
|
18,220
|
Physical abuse
|
3,400
|
4,400
|
5,000
|
4,800
|
4,690
|
Sexual abuse
|
2,000
|
2,000
|
2,300
|
2,400
|
2,220
|
Emotional abuse
|
7,900
|
9,100
|
10,800
|
11,400
|
12,330
|
Multiple
|
2,500
|
2,900
|
3,700
|
5,500
|
5,390
|
Total
|
29,200
|
34,100
|
39,100
|
42,700
|
42,850
|
Source:
Department for Education (2012) Characteristics of children in need in England,
2011-12. http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001095/index.shtml
Surprise, surprise - there is no national strategy to deal with this situation. It looks like ministers are just hoping that it will go away.
Surprise, surprise - there is no national strategy to deal with this situation. It looks like ministers are just hoping that it will go away.
