Cathy Ashley, Family Rights Group’s Chief Executive, said:
“This new data shows a children’s social care system in crisis.”
“More and more families are being subject to the stress and anxiety of intrusive child protection investigations without it concluding that a child is a significant risk of harm. The Independent Review on Children’s Social Care rightly concluded that, “improving child protection is not the same as increasing the amount of child protection activity”. The system too often spends time and scarce resources on intrusive investigations that often do not result in a child protection plan, serving only to increase the pressure on families in difficulty at a time when extra support would make a difference.”
“The child welfare system urgently needs reform and investment in early help if it is going to deliver for families and children.”