Norfolk aims to cut ‘excessive' number of children in care

The East Anglian council has identified reducing demand as central to improving services on the back of "inadequate" ratings from Ofsted for both child protection and looked-after children's services.

The council currently has 1,137 looked-after children, far more than authorities of a similar size. A report due to go before politicians in the authority on Thursday states that the number of children in care is "excessive" and reducing it is "critical".

Based on projections, the authority predicts that if it does nothing the number of looked-after children will have risen to 1,360 by 2017, costing the authority an additional £12m over three years.

But it estimates that if it can stem the number entering the system it can reduce the looked-after children population to 770 by 2017 - saving the authority £34m over the three-year period.

The strategy involves a range of measures including helping young people aged 17 and over who would "benefit from" or "could manage" a "suitably controlled step-down from their current placement".

The authority currently has around 160 looked-after children aged 17 and over.

The report states that detailed case discussions have already begun with 55 young people.

Attention is also being focused on children and young people currently placed with foster carers where a special guardianship order had either been discussed or was believed to be "possible and desirable".

So far 40 children have been identified "for migration" to a special guardianship order.

Meanwhile, as part of a six-month pilot project, social workers have been seconded to six schools in the county.

The aim is to give parents and children early access to a social worker when they are experiencing difficulties.

As part of the project, social workers will:

• Provide advice and guidance on child protection issues for teachers and other staff
• Provide early help to families of children at the school
• Ensure every child missing from education is reported to the authority and receives help
• Identify good practice in boosting attendance

James Joyce, lead member for safeguarding at Norfolk County Council, said: "It is encouraging that the number of looked-after children in the county has stabilised for the first time in many years but there is still a huge amount of work to be done to prevent children coming into care, to reunite children with their families and to ensure that permanent care arrangements are made for those who cannot return home.

"The safety and the needs of the children is our paramount concern and we will always act when children are at risk.

"However, compared to other counties there are many more children in care in this county than one would expect and although Ofsted has recognised that we are taking the right children into care, we need to do more to support families earlier, so that intervention is not necessary."

In December 2013 the government issued Norfolk's children services with an improvement notice.