Protecting children and supporting families to give children the best start in life
Reduction in the number of looked after children
Provisional data shows at the end of March 2022, 731 children were looked after by Coventry City Council. This is a reduction of 16 children from March 2021, when there were 747 looked after children. Expressed as a rate per 10,000 children, Coventry’s rate has reduced from 92.0 March 2021 to 90.5 in March 2022.
The number of looked after children has reduced but remains above comparators. The Family Valued Strengthening Families change programme is designed to spread restorative practice across children’s services. A key element is the focus on Strengthening Families through Relationship Based Practice. There is a desire to empower and enable families to find solutions, to build their own networks and for families to make changes, build resilience and most of all to remain together. The Family Valued project has an aim to reduce the numbers of looked after children and improve the quality of children’s lives in enabling them to live safely outside of care.
Repeat referrals to children’s social care
Repeat referrals to children’s social care remains similar to last year, however it remains slightly higher than comparators. It reduced from 25.0% in 2020/21 to 24.7% in 2021/22. The Family Valued project has an aim to reduce the numbers of repeat referrals and improve the quality of support that children in city receive.
Looked after children previously looked after
The percentage of new looked after children who were previously looked after has increased in 2021/22 to 9.6% from 5.6%. During the year there has been dip-samples to understand the reason numbers have increased. The result was that discharges home from the first period of care were found to be appropriate and there were no alternatives to coming back into care. The Family Valued project has an aim to reduce the numbers of looked after children returning and to improve the quality of children’s lives in enabling them to live safely outside of care.
