Impact of Covid-19 keeps Hertfordshire children in care for longer, suggests report

Children in Hertfordshire are spending longer in ‘care’, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic it has emerged.

According to the latest available data, at the end of September (Q2) there were 886 children in the care of the local authority, in Hertfordshire – not including unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

That’s nine higher than at the end of June (Q1). And is said to be the ‘highest level than for some years’.

The data was reported to a meeting of the county council’s resources and performance cabinet panel on Wednesday (December 2).

And the report suggests the increase is a reflection of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“While the number of new children coming into care remains static the number of children exiting care has reduced considerably,” says the report.

“This is for a range of reasons including delays to court proceedings and the impact of the pandemic on carrying out direct work with families in order to facilitate children and young people returning home.”

Later in the meeting – when the panel reviewed a separate report on council spending on ‘looked after children’ – Cllr Sharon Taylor asked whether the issue of delayed court proceedings had been raised with the Ministry of Justice.

And she was told that the council’s legal teams and safeguarding teams met regularly with the judiciary and had had regular discussions about these delays

“Our legal team and safeguarding managers meet regularly with the judiciary and so there are regular discussions about those delays,” said Lynn Knowles from children’s services.

“And I think we are confident that now things are starting to pick up.

“I think it was really during the main lockdown period which has caused the backlog. So I think we are confident that things will start to move forward now.”

According to the report to the cabinet panel court delays were having a “tangible impact” on the council’s looked after children budget.

And it was reported that in this area the county council was predicting a £1.6m Covid-related spend in this area in 2020/21, ‘principally due to fewer children and young people leaving care’.

These costs relate to the ongoing costs of contact between children and their parents, care placements lasting for longer and increases on caseload for social workers.

And according to the report to the panel delays in care-related court proceedings, an increase in unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) and fewer children leaving care will lead to increased costs over the next 18 months.