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Rise in children 'in care' in Peterborough after Baby P
THE number of children under the protection of Peterborough social services has surged following the high profile trial of the killers of the child known as Baby P.
THE number of children under the protection of Peterborough social services has surged following the high profile trial of the killers of the child known as Baby P.A spate of referrals of youngsters to protection services in the city has been triggered by the release of details of the horrifying ordeal suffered by the toddler known as Baby P at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.
And social services officials say the flurry of new referrals by police, teachers and members of the public has also resulted in more children in the city being placed on protection plans.
New figures show that between April, which marked the start of the Baby P court case, and the end of last month, there were 1,102 children referred to social services – an increase of four per cent for the same period in the previous year.
Of those initial referrals, 76 children were made subject to a social services protection plan, which details the best ways of meeting the youngster's needs and how long that special care should last.
For the same period in the previous year there were 47 children on protection plans.
In total, there are 112 children on protection plans in Peterborough, all of which may run for different lengths of time.
Director of the city council's Children's Services John Richards said he fully welcomed the "huge" public response in Peterborough.
He said: "Anything that keeps children safe, is something I am all for.
"The response is a good thing as all of these children could be potentially at risk and we are responsible for children in this city.
"Both the general public and other professionals are more aware now and more willing to refer children into social services."
He said that after each referral, further investigation took place involving child protection conferences and examination of children who could be at significant risk – a figure that was more than double the expected number. And the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) confirmed that following the Baby P trial their helpline referred more than 1,000 calls to agencies in Cambridgeshire – the calls coming in at a rate of more than one an hour at one point.
Director of helpline services Christine Renouf, added: "Fortunately, people seem to be more aware of children who might be at risk of serious harm and are taking action to help them. The brutal torture and death of Baby Peter was terrible but we know it was a wake-up call for some people to look out for children."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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