Demand for action to support children as Highland Council statistics on looked-after kids give pause for thought
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Shocking new figures from Highland Council reveal that 18 per cent of its looked after children go into children’s homes – and 30 per cent are sent away from the area altogether.
In the Highlands, there are 466 children in the care system, which accounts for 1.2 per cent of young people. This is in line with national figures.
However, 85 children are currently in residential care. This equates to 18 per cent, against a national average of less than 10 per cent.
In addition, each year, between 25 and 30 children are placed in so-called out of authority care.
This means that close to one-third of the region’s most vulnerable young people are sent away from the area. This could be down to a lack of foster care, specialist support or for their own safety.
The figures prompted health bosses and councillors to call on more support for families, at an earlier stage.
The report to Highland councillors set out several challenges for children’s residential services in the area.
Children who have experienced trauma need more specialist support to process the anger and upset they feel. The report also suggests that there needs to be more help for young people with disabilities, and the council needs to improve its system for emergency admissions.
Crucially, the report also confirms that the council faces serious challenges relating to young people who are targeted in the community for exploitation by drug dealers and other criminal activity.
Last November, health chairwoman Linda Munro said she was “deeply troubled” to have received a list of allegations about child exploitation and drug trafficking.
She said she would hand these allegations to the police.
At the time, health executive Fiona Duncan promised a review to understand whether the council’s services adequately protect children in its care.
The report is the first of a series to unravel the challenges ahead.
Ms Duncan suggests that intensive, multi-agency work could prevent vulnerable children going into residential care.
She also spoke about the role of local communities, to provide support, services and even assets such as buildings.
At the heart of it all,
is a need for early intervention to help struggling families.
Councillor Munro highlighted some positives, stating: “We’re changing the language to talk about support for families rather than how are we dealing with problem children.”
However, Cllr Munro and several other councillors say those words must translate to action.
Ms Duncan offered reassurance.
“There’s a speed and immediacy in all this because every day is a day of a child’s life that they won’t get back again,” she said.
Out of authority placements are not just emotionally damaging for children – they also hit the council’s coffers.
Each child sent into care with another local authority costs the Highland Council at least £230,000 per year.
Health bosses are working to bring those children home and reinvest the money into local services, the committee heard.
