Over 100,000 of England’s most vulnerable young people who are on child in need plans are not getting consistent levels of support across England.
- Widespread regional variations: in some areas the vast majority of children involved in social care are placed on child in need plans, while in others it is relatively few.
- New report for the first time highlights which children are getting plans, where in the country they are, and how long they are staying on these plans.
- The Children’s Commissioner blames a lack of national guidance for huge variation in practice.
- On average, disabled children are on plans for four times as long as other children. Huge variation in whether disabled children are getting plans or not.
Over 100,000 of England’s most vulnerable children who are on social service plans are getting a postcode lottery of support with huge regional variations dictating the level of protection they get, previously unseen data from the Children’s Commissioner has revealed.
In worst case scenarios, these inconsistencies and lack of consistent early intervention can prevent children and families from getting the help they need and can lead to devasting long term consequences.
A new report published today by the Children’s Commissioner has revealed considerable variation between what happens to different groups of children and between different local authorities, when it comes to children on child in need plans.
Children on child in need plans are the largest group of children supported by children’s social care in England, these children are often highly vulnerable, and the problems faced by these children are incredibly varied.
The range of challenges for children on child in need plans can vary – they might be a young carer, or being targeted for criminal exploitation, or have a parent struggling with substance misuse, or experiencing the domestic abuse of a parent, or they might be disabled.
The new analysis shows that for a quarter of children (25%) who were severely absent from school and referred to children’s services were not given any support and resulted in no further action. Essentially, they were deemed to not need support from social care despite missing half of their time at school.
Today’s report, Children on Child in Need Plans, found the proportion of children in need with a child in need plan varied across local authorities.
In one local authority, 70% of the children involved in children’s social care were on child in need plans, while in another it was as low as 3.6% – suggesting a variation in thresholds for intervention across the country.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner said: “There will be a range of reasons for the regional variation uncovered in my report, but I hope better guidance is implemented so local authorities have a better understanding of what the purpose of child in need plans should be, why things are done so differently in different areas, and how we can improve support for this group of vulnerable children.”
Nationally, 7.2% of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan also had a child in need plan. Again, this varied across the country, from 0.8% in one local authority to 26% in another.
This regional variation is concerning given that under section 17, disabled children – a group of children with significant overlap with those with special educational needs – are entitled to support under a child in need plan. These findings make clear that not all children with high levels of special educational needs are getting this support, and practice varies across the country.
Analysis of local authority procedure documents uncovered that guidance for what should happen on a child in need plan is varied. The Department for Education has limited guidance about which does not set out how long a plan should last for, how often a child should be visited, or when a plan should be reviewed.
Most local authorities set their own guidelines on plan length, ranging from four months to no set time limit. It is notable that over half (53%) of areas suggest plans should last for no longer than a year, before they are considered for closure. Analysis found the rationale for this is unclear, and what should happen to children who might need support throughout their childhood, particularly disabled children.
The average time a child spends on a plan varies from just over a month (35 days) to over a year (388 days). The average duration for children with a primary need of ‘child’s disability or illnesses was longer at 711 days, or nearly two years.
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said:
“Until now, we have known far too little about children on child in need plans – who they are, what help they get, or whether it make a difference to their lives as it should. It is vital we get things right for children on children in need plans. Getting the right support when children need it will not only help to make their lives happier and healthier but can also prevent things escalating to the point where a child might need to be taken into care.
“Getting this support right for these children matters – it matters not only because the right support can be lifechanging but also matters because of the crisis we are now seeing in funding for local councils. Some of this crisis can be attributed to the incredibly high costs of placements for children in care. It is only by getting help right at this early stage that we will prevent crisis.”
The report’s main recommendations include:
- The need for consistent thresholds for assessment and support under section 17, through defined national thresholds of needs and strengthening national guidance for local authorities on the use of child in need plans as an intervention.
- Improved data reporting to distinguish children who are being assessed for a child in need plan, from those awaiting an assessment, or who are on a child in need plan.
Better joined up support that children and their families receive through section 17. Improvements to section 17 support should be underpinned by a statutory duty to deliver universal early help provision.
