Demand for children's services in Cornwall on the rise and expected to increase even more

The number of people needing help from Cornwall Council’s children’s services has doubled and is expected to rise further.

Cornwall Council’s early help service receives more than 10,000 requests for help every year – an increase of 45% in three years.

Early help services at the council help around 2,000 families at any one time – a figure which has doubled in the last three years.

The Multi Agency Referral Unit (MARU) – which the council describes as its “front door” – responds to more than 5,000 referrals a year, an increase of 57% over three years.

In a report to councillors it is explained: “This increase is partly due to lowering the thresholds for neglect and vulnerable adolescents, along with campaigns to raise awareness of increasing contextual risks such as child exploitation and raising awareness of child sexual abuse within the family environment.”

However the council is expecting demand to rise due to coronavirus with more families coming under pressure.

Cornwall Council has been working to ensure it can continue providing services to those who need them during the pandemic.

The report states: “Our focus since lockdown began in March 2020 has been to support our staff to maintain the quality and effectiveness of our children’s social care services for the most vulnerable families in our communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, who have found it most difficult to cope.

“In Cornwall the financial strain on families has been particularly acute given our levels of deprivation, and the fact that so many families have low paid and insecure jobs dependent on hospitality and seasonal tourism.”

The council increased practical and financial support to families to address debt and prevent family breakdown and homelessness.

COVID-19 support plans were introduced which looked at the impact of the pandemic on families and the individual circumstances of every child the council is working with.

In total more than 19,000 COVID-19 support plans and reviews were completed by the council.

The council had to close its Family Hubs during lockdown but many of these reopened in July to provide help and support for families.

However the council says that expert analysis from the County Councils Network suggests that as well as previously forecast increase in demand there could be a further surge for support from children’s social services following lockdown.

The report states: “Early research suggests that the pandemic and subsequent measures are having significant impacts on family functioning and emotional health of parents, carers, children and young people.

“Many families are experiencing increased anxiety and stress, social distancing measures have led to a loss of structure and social contact and there have been reductions in support services.

“In this context, our family hubs will be an important part of providing continuity of support and working in partnership with community groups to deliver our early help offer as services start to recover and need to be able to offer increase face-to-face support and direct work with vulnerable families.”