Data Reporter Joseph Hook shares this latest news as part of the OnTheWight’s collaboration with Press Association and Urbs Media. Ed
Hundreds of abused and neglected children on the Isle of Wight needed the local authority to step in and protect them over 12 months, according to figures from the Department for Education.
It reflects a growing trend across the country, with social workers calling for a renewed focus from the government to tackle the increasing number of children in need.
73% of cases were for neglect
The latest figures show that 231 child protection plans, which are put in place when there is serious risk to a child’s health, were implemented in the Isle of Wight in the year ending March 2017.
The most common reason was neglect, which accounted for 168 or 73% of cases. But 17 were for sexual abuse, ten were for physical abuse and 36 were for emotional abuse.
For every 1,000 youngsters under 18 on the Isle of Wight, nine were under child protection plans. Across the south east, 9,760 child protection plans were implemented between April 2016 and March 2017, a rate of five for every 1,000 children.
IWC: “Dedicated to protecting children from harm”
A spokesperson for Isle of Wight council told OnTheWight,
“Our child protection services have been improving strongly over the last five years and we are confident children on the Island are well protected.
“This was supported when Ofsted carried out a pilot ‘focused visit’ last summer.
“Our social workers are dedicated to protecting children from harm and work closely with other professionals and families to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.”
IW bucking the trend
The rate on the Isle of Wight was higher than that for the whole of England, where there were six child protection plans for every 1,000 children, with 66,410 children across the country receiving support from local authorities following neglect or abuse.
There were 21% fewer child protection plans implemented in 2016/17 on the Isle of Wight than during the previous 12 months, but across England the number increased by 5%, representing some 3,100 children.
Hardworking social workers continue to make a difference
Maris Stratulis, the England manager for the British Association of Social Workers, said:
“The statistics reflect the increasing demand on services and the complexity of need of some of the most vulnerable children in this country.
“Hardworking, dedicated social workers continue to make a difference every day to the lives of many. However, the government and inspection bodies, including Ofsted, need to acknowledge the ever-increasing demand on over-stretched children’s services, and the impact this has on services being delivered.”
What is a Child protection plan?
Child protection plans, enforced under Section 47 of the Children Act, are put in place after a child is taken into police protection or put under an emergency protection order, or if there is a strong suspicion that a child will suffer significant harm.
While some children may have more than one plan implemented over the course of a year, on a single day, 31 March 2017, there were 199 individual children being supported by the Isle of Wight council following abuse or neglect.
On the same day, over 50,000 children in England were receiving the same support.
