Karnacology and Karnac Books are supporting the campaign ‘See the Child, Change the System’, organised by Kids Company.This will enable the creation of an Independent Task Force to re-design social care and mental health services for children in the UK, which a recent Centre for Social Justice report has acknowledged are now “in crisis and not fit for purpose”
CHILDREN’S REALITIES TODAY – THE STATISTICS.
- 3.5 million children in the UK are living in poverty (Barnados)
- Almost 1.5 million children in the UK experience neglect (Action for Children)
- 16% of children aged under 16 experienced sexual abuse during childhood (NSPCC)
- 1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 – 16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder – that is around three children in every class (Young Minds)
- Over 500,000 children are referred to social services as a cause for concern on a yearly basis (NSPCC)
- Of these, 43,140 were subject to a Child Protection Plan in England in 2012-13 (NSPCC)
- 500 children’s centres have closed since 2010
- 3850 Social Workers are needed to fill the vacancies in England
- 73% of Social Workers surveyed say they can’t do their job properly, leaving children at risk
- 80% of Social Workers surveyed said child protection thresholds are going up
- Social workers can have over 40 life threatening cases each
- 78% spend less than a third of their time in direct contact with children
- 88% of Social Workers surveyed said budget cuts have left children at increased risk of abuse
- There’s been a 47% increase in child protection cases in England over the last 5 years
- And a 45% Increase in Children in need cases, suffering abuse or neglect 2011-12
- Care applications in England are up by 70% since 2008
- Within England, death rates for children under 17 vary between 7.9 deaths per 100,000 in the five best performing local authorities, and 21.1 deaths per 100,000 in the five worst performing local authorities. The highest death rates are seen in deprived areas of the Northwest, northern cities and some of the poorer boroughs of London (Chief Medical Officer)
- Local Authority core funding has been cut by 33% 2011-15
- Early intervention for Sure Start for has been cut by 20%
- 2/3rds of Local Authorities have cut their budgets for children and adolescent mental health
- Continuing with a reactionary approach rather than investing in early intervention and prevention comes with a 4 trillion pound price tag over 20 years (Action for Children)
To sign the petition, please click here. Thank you.
]]>
Leave a Reply