NEW research by the body representing councils in England and Wales has shone a spotlight on the need to look closely at how children’s social care is funded.

The Local Government Association report shows that spiralling demand is leading to three quarters of local authorities overspending on children’s care.

But with much of the money going on services that are either statutory or essential for child safeguarding, the question is not whether to spend the cash, but how to fund the increase.

Across the country, there has been a 140 per cent increase in the number of children subject to child protection enquiries in the past 10 years.

Recently the Adver reported on how, during busy periods, Swindon Borough Council’s Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub can receive as many as 300 calls regarding child welfare in just a single week. Last year the team responded to a total of 12,000 calls.

Nationally, the increase in demand for urgent care has led councils to overspend on children’s services by £605m.

In 2016/17, Swindon’s children’s services department missed its target by £1.7m.

Figures for the 2017/18 financial year predict a lesser overspend, but projections still suggest that it will exceed £500,000.

The LGA has joined voices from across the sector in warning that the pressures are rapidly becoming unsustainable, with urgent action needed to rectify the funding shortfall being experienced by local authorities.

The newly released report raises the concern that with councils facing such significant financial pressures, the money will inevitably have to go on urgent care first meaning early intervention initiatives will miss out.

Swindon Borough Council, like other local authorities across the country, is keen to pursue early intervention where it can because the evidence shows that there are significant financial and social benefits further down the line.

Council leader David Renard said: “Meeting the increasing demand and cost of delivering children’s services is a national challenge for all councils at a time when they also face financial pressures.

“Here in Swindon, the council has budgeted over £106m in 2017/18 for services to support vulnerable children and adults, most of which are statutory.

“The recent series of articles in the Swindon Advertiser helpfully highlighted the challenges we face and the very wide range of initiatives underway to deliver services. We expect that this year around 78 per cent of the council’s budget will be spent on providing services to vulnerable adults and children compared to 48 per cent a decade earlier.

“Out of this, £27m is spent on children’s services each year, with almost £12m going towards social care placements. Behind these figures are the dedicated staff working tirelessly every day to secure positive outcomes for children who need our help.”