THERE are more children in care and protected from risk of harm in Middlesbrough than anywhere else in the North-East, a report has revealed.

At present there are 377 looked after children in the town, an increase of 12 per cent since 2010 and a further 207 subject to child protection plans which has dropped dramatically from 335 in 2010.

In 2013/14 Middlesbrough’s rate of Looked After Children (LAC) per 10,000 children in the local authority area was 17 per cent above average for its group of similar authorities and 87 per cent above the national average.

Studies into the issue have concluded that poverty and social deprivation were significant contributing factors for the high figures which cost the council £1m for every 16 youngsters taken into care.

Elected Mayor of Middlesbrough, Ray Mallon has forecast that a massive three-quarter’s of the town’s dwindling annual budget will be spent on caring for looked-after children and a growing elderly population with dementia by 2019/2020.

Research by consultants Peopletoo, said: “Within Middlesbrough early help and early intervention were insufficiently developed to have an impact on the high numbers of looked after children and children in need of protection.”

The ‘Stronger Families’ in Middlesbrough scheme has avoided costs of £519,000 through successful interventions and preventions from August 2012 to March 2013.

However, the report ‘Early Help – Improving Outcomes for children, young people and families’, presented to the council earlier this month, said: “Levels of educational attainment are below the national average, affecting future life opportunities and creating a vicious cycle of disadvantage, while chaotic and dysfunctional family lives are causing excessive pressure in the child protection system.”

Figures from 2013 show that six local authorities in the region including Middlesbrough reported a fall in numbers with Darlington seeing the greatest reduction (15 per cent relating to 22 children) and Sunderland having the biggest increase of 12 per cent equating to 56 youngsters.

A 13-page document to be discussed by the council’s Children and Learning Scrutiny Panel next Wednesday, said that there had been a sharp increase in the numbers of Looked After Children (LAC) across the country following the shocking case of Peter Connelly, known as ‘Baby P’, a 17-month-old toddler who died in London after suffering more than fifty injuries in 2009.

The report concluded: “High numbers of looked after children are a long-term threat to the financial stability of children’s services and the council. Demand will remain high as current demand is already high and it will take a number of years for a significant reduction in numbers."