Efforts to reduce the number of city children in care have suffered a setback. After a steady decline in the number of youngsters being looked after in care homes in recent years, the total has started to increase again.

But Hull's social services director Jan Didrichsen said policies aimed at keeping families together were still working. The number of children in care is one of the most important performance indicators for social services departments.

During last year the figures for Hull fell from 582 to 559, maintaining a steady downward trend since a highly critical Social Service Inspectorate report four years ago highlighted the risk of youngsters being left to drift in an overloaded care system.

But in a new report, Mr Didrichsen said that since January this year the numbers have started to rise again, peaking in July at 584.

"At the time of writing this figure is holding and plans are in place to repeat the steady reduction we experienced during 2001," he said.

Mr Didrichsen said work on supporting families before having to resort to care proceedings would eventually pay dividends.
"The development of the family support model will lead to a steady reduction in the dependence on the care systems as a means of helping children and families."

A new network of family support centres across Hull now handle many cases before care proceedings are considered.

"The outstanding development of family centres is a critical feature of the overall development of local services to children and families because it places services in a better position to work jointly with services users and other partners," said Mr Didrichsen.

His report also revealed only 21 Hull children were in care homes outside the city at the end of March.

Source: Hull Daily Mail