Research reveals dramatic rise in emergency protection orders and interim care orders

Emergency protection orders and interim care orders, in which children thought to be at immediate risk of significant harm are put under local authority care, increased by 32% and 38% respectively in the two years to the end of 2009, research by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services has claimed.

The ADCS research found that most safeguarding social work activities – from referrals to children becoming looked after – have increased by an average of 21% in two years. Although staffing levels have increased by 10%, this has not kept pace with rising demand, the association said.

Key findings from the study, which covered the two years to the end of 2009 and was based on responses from 105 local authorities, include:

• The number of initial contacts, in which a child is first brought to the attention of social workers by members of the public or professionals, rose by 24.6%
• The number of referrals requiring further investigation increased by 16.5%
• Section 47 enquiries, where professionals investigate concerns that a child is suffering from or is at risk of significant harm, rose by 20.35%
• Some 32.9% more children were subject to a child protection plan
• 17.2% more children started to be looked after and there were 8% more children looked after at the end of December 2009, and
• The number of full care orders issued fell by 8%.

The survey also found a high number of vacancies in social work departments.

Marion Davis, incoming president of ADCS, said: “These initial findings powerfully express the pressures that local authority children’s services departments are facing. It is clear from the 10% increase in staffing that councils are aware of increasing pressures and are taking steps to increase the number of staff dealing with child protection concerns, but that councils have not been able to keep pace with the dramatic rise in demand.

“The rises are in every part of the system, from the front door to the family courts and we believe this shows that this is not a knee jerk reaction to high profile cases, but rather that agencies are getting better at identifying those children who require extra support.”