In England, section 47 of the 1989 Children
Act requires local authorities to carry out ‘enquiries’ (investigations) where
they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in
their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.
This week, the Local Government Association (LGA) reports
that in 2017 500 such enquiries were carried out every day.
The Association’s press release also
reminds us that in 2007 the corresponding figure was just 200 investigations
per day.
So, the workload of local authorities in
England has more than doubled in the last ten years.
Very rightly, the LGA is calling for the
Government to use the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement to resolve
the £2billion funding gap that is facing children’s services in England.
Bizarrely ministers seem relatively
unperturbed by what by what can only be described as a profound crisis.
“Fiddling
while Rome burns” is a phrase that comes to mind.
