North Yorkshire council praise for care prevention work

Work by North Yorkshire County Council to prevent children going into care has been praised by Ofsted inspectors.

The family intervention programme works to give emotional and practical support to parents and carers struggling to cope with children.

Ofsted described the council’s children’s and young people’s service as a “beacon of good practice”.

The council said its success meant the team was being increased, going from six to 22 intervention workers.

Family intervention staff worked with a total of 445 children and their families or carers between January 2010 and May this year.

Out of those children, five were taken into care.

One woman who was given help said: “I think without the support I would have had the kids taken off me.”

Judith Hay, the council’s assistant director for children’s social care, said: “Our children’s social care transformation is organised around the assumption that, wherever it is safe to do so, children and young people should live with their family or families.”