Four in 10 councils have warned that they are likely to cut early help services in response to increasing pressure from rising child protection referrals and assessments
The issue has been raised by the Local Government Association (LGA) after a survey of 76 councils – half of the 152 in England – found that domestic violence, drug abuse, family hardship and conflict are behind the increase in referrals.
A majority of the 76 councils said that poor housing and debt are also leading to more referrals.
The councils said that the main pressure on their social care budgets in 2019/20 was the “increased complexity of need”, including problems posed by an increase in older children being referred.
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