Extra Social Work Calls See Child Protection Bill Soar

A huge rise in calls to social services has seen Edinburgh’s annual bill for protecting vulnerable youngsters from abuse and neglect soar to £53 million.

High-profile cases such as that of 11-week-old Caleb Ness – who was shaken to death by his brain-damaged father in 2001 – are thought to be behind a 75 per cent increase in calls since 2000. The service received 1018 calls last year.

Now education leaders are accusing the Scottish Government of failing to fund the city’s child protection service properly.

Ministers give the city less than half the cash it needs to look after vulnerable children, leaving the local authority to find £30m a year to prop up the service.

Leading councillors say the Scottish Government has failed to appreciate the rising cost of child protection.

Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, the city’s children and families leader, said that although the service is vital and one the council must provide funding for regardless of its financial position, more money would allow the council to employ more social workers.

The council recently received a damning HMIE report into its child protection service, which found it to be inadequate and slow.

Cllr MacLaren said: “I’m not so cowardly as to say we got a bad report because of money problems, but there’s a link between not having enough money and not being able to provide a first-class service. It’s certainly to do with why the department is in debt. £30m a year would make a huge difference to our children and families budget.

“I’ve raised this with Adam Ingram [Minister for Children and Early Years] and he said he understood, but I felt I received a stock-and-trade answer and no promise.”

She was backed by the city’s Labour education spokesman, Councillor Andrew Burns, who added: “A re-balancing of the budget for this service is needed at national level.

“Demand is largely outstripping supply, and that is something that has changed over the last few years.

“It is now imperative that much more funding is provided.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government provides a funding settlement which we believe adequately enables councils to deliver their services.

“Furthermore, councils have a great deal of flexibility to allocate resources from within their budgets to meet local needs and priorities, including child protection.

“The City of Edinburgh Council has received a year-on-year increase share of local government finance, taking this to £658.6m for 2007-8. This funding is not ring-fenced by the Scottish Government and it is for the council to allocate these resources to meet their local priorities.”

DEPARTMENT STRAPPED FOR CASH

THE city’s children and families department had hoped to save a large amount of money through a controversial school closures programme.

The council would have saved £9 million over three years, with a potential extra £16m from capital receipts, with the planned closure of 22 schools and four community centres. But the proposals were scrapped last month when the SNP rebelled over the scheme.

The children and families department is still trying to make £5.3m worth of cuts to services.