The latest Salford Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB) report presented to a Council committee recently makes chilling reading, showing the sad world in which thousands of the city's young people now live.
Around 13,000 children, or 26% of those under 16 years old, are now living in poverty, way above the national and regional average. In the Irwell Riverside ward, 45% of children are living in poverty (for full details see previous Salford Star article – click here).
Meanwhile, hundreds of children are getting caught in the crossfire of domestic abuse. The report, covering the year 2014-15, states that 793 official cases of domestic abuse in the city occurred in households with children, a `significant proportion'. Of 168 children who were on protection plans for emotional abuse, almost 46% of them had the primary risk of domestic violence.
Emotional abuse as a whole accounted for 47.1% of 357 children on child protection plans and neglect accounted for 47.9% (171), with sexual abuse (3.1%) and physical abuse (2%) completing the sad picture.
The number of children on child protection plans as a whole increased from 278 in 2014 to that 357 figure in 2015 – at 67.3 per 10,000 young people, this is way above the average for England (42.9) and above the figures for comparative places, or `statistical neighbours' (63). The percentage of children subject to a second or subsequent child protection plan also rose by almost 6%.
During 2014-15, Salford Children's Social Care received 4,103 referrals, a 41.6% increase from the 2,897 referrals received in 2013/14. This is 773 per 10,000 young people, way above statistical neighbours (685.4) and the England average (573).
As of 31st March 2015, 1,854 children had been identified through assessment as being formally in need of a specialist children's service, an increase from 1,663 at 31st March 2014. And children being looked after by Salford Council also increased from 575 to 587.
The report also states that, at 27, "Salford has seen a significant rise in child deaths and is the highest since 2009-10", although no specific explanation is given.
While, at 31st March 2015, Salford Carers Centre was working with 158 young carers who were under 17, and 56 aged between 18 and 24, the report estimates that there are 4,056 young carers in Salford.
Noting that OFSTED has recognised the improvement in the city's safeguarding of children, in the intro to the Salford Safeguarding Children Board report, its independent chair, Simon Westwood, declared...
..."We want children and young people to: feel safe at home, at school and in the community; be protected from abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence; be provided with opportunities to develop emotional resilience, self-worth and confidence; know who to turn to for support when needed and to be able to get it when they need it..."
The statistics from the report show that the picture for the city's young people is grim...and getting worse.
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