A northern seaside town famous for ballroom dancing and popular for stag and hen parties also has the highest rate of children in care in England. Away from the bright lights and tower of the seafront, the Lancashire resort scores top for the most youngsters being looked after by the state, with one in every 52 children according to a new report.
Health Inequality North found over 83,000 children were in care across England in 2023, with those in the north of the country 50 percent more likely to be in authority supported accommodation.
That’s a 30 percent increase since 2010, and is the fifteenth year in a row that the number has increased to its highest on record.
According to the data, one in every 88 kids in the North East were in care in 2023 and in the North West it was one in every 104, and in the West Midlands it was one in every 111.
Blackpool had the largest number of children in care out of any local authority in England, relative to its population.
You can see how different local authorities compare by using Express.co.uk interactive map below:
In London, however, only one in every 196 kids were in care. In the East of England it was one in every 192, and in the South East it was one in every 175.
After Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent had the next highest rate with one in every 53 children.
That’s followed by North East Lincolnshire with one in every 57 kids. Then it’s Hartlepool with one in every 62, Liverpool with one in every 64, Middlesbrough with one in every 66, Redcar and Cleveland with one in every 68, and Darlington with one in every 69.
By contrast, just one in every 384 children in the London borough of Merton were in care last year. That’s a lower proportion than in any other local authority in the country.
Harrow, Kingston upon Thames, and Richmond upon Thames have the joint next lowest ratio at one in 333 children each. Then Wokingham with one in 312, and Hertfordshire with one in 277.
Professor Kate Pickett OBE, Academic Co-Director at Health Equity North, and Director of the Public Health & Society Research Group and the York Cost of Living Research Group at the University of York, who is co-author of the report said: “For children who spend time in care, the experience stays with them beyond childhood.
“For many, they continue to face adversities throughout the course of their life, often experiencing worse educational, employment, income, housing, mental and physical health, and criminal justice outcomes, than other children.
“This report makes it very clear that things need to change. Children and families should have access to a system that is adequately funded to be able to provide the support and care needed to help them reach their potential as they go into adulthood.
“It is no great surprise that the North sees the highest rates of children in care when you consider the entrenched health inequalities we continue to battle and the decades of under-investment which have hollowed out preventative services.
“This is very disturbing and I hope that current and future governments will act on the clear recommendations set out in the report to help create a fairer future for all children.”
Dr Davara Bennett, lead author of the report and a School for Public Health Research (SPHR) Postdoctoral Launching Fellow at the University of Liverpool, said: “Our report has exposed the deeply rooted social inequalities reflected in, and exacerbated by, the child welfare system.
“These need to be tackled head-on by policymakers. Local authorities are trapped in a cycle of ever-greater spend on children in care, at the expense of investment in effective support for families in need. The evidence shows the damage caused by cuts to prevention and failure to address the very real problem of child poverty in the North.
“There are a number of policies that, if implemented, could help reduce the number of children entering care and improve the care and support children and families receive when in need. We urge government to hear our calls for action and commit to addressing them as a priority.”
