THOUSANDS of children referred to social services for everything from abuse to neglect are being denied help as cash-strapped councils are pushed to breaking point.

Up to 8,000 vulnerable children in the North-East are stuck in a ‘revolving door’ of assessment and referrals because they are not at “crisis point,” according to Action for Children.

In a report released today, the charity reveals more than 9,100 children’s needs assessments were closed in the region in 2015/16 because the youngsters’ needs fell short of the criteria for support.

Of these cases – often referrals from concerned teachers, police officers and health professionals – one in six families received early help services such as children’s centres of domestic violence cases.

This means an estimated 8,000 children were left without support, and in Yorkshire and Humber this figure is 15,300.

John Egan, national director for England North at Action for Children, said cuts had left local authorities with no options but to shrink or abandon services.

He called on the Government to reinvest in local services, adding: “Social care can’t just be for there for when a family is in meltdown. Every day too many children’s lives are overshadowed by drugs, alcoholism, domestic violence and neglect – a toxic recipe for all kinds of problems now and in later life.”

The Revolving Door report is based on Freedom of Information requests sent to all local authorities. It comes in the wake of a warning from the Local Government Association (LGA) that 75 per cent of councils in England and Wales overspent on their children’s services budget by more than £600m in 2015/16.

The LGA highlighted surging demand and a £500m cut to the Government’s Early Intervention Grant since 2013.

Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, warned: “The reality is that services for the care and protection of vulnerable children now, in many areas, are being pushed to breaking point.”

The Northern Echo contacted councils across the region for reaction.

A North Yorkshire County Council spokesperson said the authority was one of the top performing in the country for children’s services, with an award-winning multi-agency screening team and prevention teams that provide support when families are most in need.

“Although North Yorkshire has saved £6m from its children’s services budget, outcomes for vulnerable children have improved over the last five years,” she said.

“North Yorkshire has invested in early help services to prevent problems for children and families escalating and this has reduced the amount spent on more costly statutory services.”

A spokesperson for Darlington Borough Council said: “Despite budget pressures, protecting vulnerable children and young people in our community is a key priority. We have consulted widely on our Children’s Centre delivery model and the outcome of this will be reported to cabinet in the near future.”

A Department for Education Spokesperson said: “We are taking action to support vulnerable children by reforming social care services and better protecting victims of domestic violence and abuse.

“Councils will receive more than £200 billion for local services up to 2020 and spent nearly £8 billion last year on children’s social care but we want to help them do even more. Our £200 million Innovation Programme is helping councils develop new and better ways of delivering these services – this includes projects targeting children who have been referred and assessed multiple times without receiving support.”