Vulnerable East Lothian Children Get Support Boost

MORE help will be available for vulnerable children and their families after East Lothian Council agreed to increase its social care budget.

The council has also decided to limit the cuts schools are required to make, following widespread public concern.

Councillor Peter MacKenzie, the council’s education and children’s services leader, said: “I am very aware of the public concern about any cuts to the schools’ budget, and accordingly, we have decided to make 2.25 per cent efficiency savings centrally in the Department of Education and Children’s Services. In the primary sector, we will only require 0.14 per cent efficiency savings and in the secondary sector only 0.75 per cent. I think that this is a considerable achievement in the current economic climate, and one that acknowledges the concerns of parents and communities in the county.”

He said spending on children’s social work would rise, allowing more support for foster carers and families affected by drug misuse.

More than 50 per cent of the children on the county’s Child Protection Register come from families that abuse drugs and alcohol.