Number of children living in care in Black Country and Staffordshire drops

In 2014/15 there were 150 fewer children in care across the region than in the previous year, according to new figures from the Department for Education.

It stands in stark contrast to the national picture, which saw an extra 740 looked after children over the period, up one per cent from 2013/14.

Last year the number of children in care dropped in all four Black Country boroughs and also in Staffordshire, despite some authorities slashing millions from childcare budgets.

Council bosses say the reduction is down to the introduction of a raft of strategies over the past 12 months aimed at spotting struggling families earlier and providing better support.

The biggest fall has come in Wolverhampton.

In March this year the city had the second highest proportion of looked after children in the country, with 135 of every 10,000 under-18s in care.

But in the last six moths the number of children in care has fallen from 780 to 715.

Councillor Val Gibson, Wolverhampton council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Like other parts of the country, the number of looked after children in Wolverhampton increased substantially over the last few years.

"The council has responded to this challenge and thanks to the work we are doing to transform children's services in the city we are now seeing a reduction in the number of children having to be taken into care.

"We are also ensuring that only those children who need to go into care do so.

"We have achieved the reduction over the last six months by improving the early identification of, and help for, families who need support, meaning we can provide assistance at the first available opportunity and enable more children to remain with their families if appropriate.

"Of course, there are still many instances where a child has to be taken into care, and when this happens, we are managing their placements closely with the aim of providing them with a permanent family as soon as possible."

Sandwell has seen the number of children in care fall steadily over the past three years. The figure dropped from 570 to 540 over the past 12 months.

Councillor Simon Hackett, cabinet member for children's services said: "The number of children in care has decreased in Sandwell over time as we are keen to ensure that all children have a safe and permanent home.

"Along with our partners we work with families before they get to crisis point to prevent children from being taken into care. This has involved some innovative programmes that have helped us to support families in partnership with schools and other key agencies.

"Where it's not possible, or right for the child to stay with their family, we seek to place them with another family where they can be safe and have access to all the support that they need.

"Putting children into care is always a last resort."

In Dudley there were 15 fewer children in care over the last year, a fall from 755 to 740.

Councillor Ian Cooper, Dudley's cabinet member for children's services, said: "Our officers work hard to ensure that children remain with their families wherever possible which is helping to contribute to the overall reduction in the number of young people in our care.

"We work with the voluntary sector and partner agencies such as the health service and schools to provide support to families at an early stage in order to prevent the need for care provision.

"However, as we work to ensure that children are protected from harm, if they do need a safe place in which to live we will meet this need."

In Walsall children in care dropped from 625 to 605, while Staffordshire saw a reduction of 20, from 950 to 930.

The total number of looked after children in England is at a seven-year high, with 69,540 children in care, more than 75 per cent of whom live with foster parents.