Universal Credit pushing up numbers of children coming into care

The government’s controversial welfare reforms are contributing to the ‘unprecedented’ numbers of borough children coming into care, a senior council official has said.

Jill McGregor, Rochdale Council’s assistant director of children’s social care, told a scrutiny committee that Universal Credit was ‘without doubt’ having an impact on the lives of vulnerable people.

The flagship policy, which was rolled out to all Rochdale claimants last May, combines six benefits in one – and ministers say it is designed to make work pay.

But claimants usually face a five week wait for their first payment – sometimes longer – and critics claim it is plunging people into poverty.

At a meeting of Rochdale Council’s health, schools and care overview and scrutiny committee, Councillor Sue Smith questioned the link between the Universal Credit and the escalating number of children in care.

Addressing Ms McGregor, she said: “Where I’m a ward councillor (Middleton) the majority of complaints are to do with the Universal Credit and the way Universal Credit is having an impact on families – not just in my area but all the way through.

“Do you think it’s having an impact on children being taken into care?”

Ms McGregor said that the evidence in a recent National Audit Office Report and other research led her to believe it was the case.

The number of children in care in Rochdale has increased by about 100 since the autumn of 2017

She said: “I think you have to conclude that the impact of austerity, the impact of things like Universal Credit – and the impact of what all those things collectively look like – inevitably has an individual people’s resilience and ability to manage in very difficult difficult circumstances.

“I think there are factors that we absolutely need to understand.”

In Rochdale, the number of cared for children at the end of September last year stood at 537 – an increase of 65 from 12 months previous.

A number of residential placements – not all of which are council-owned – are occupied by children from outside the borough and Greater Manchester.

A recent council report said there were 'Unprecedented levels of children coming into care’ which, combined with a shortage of foster carers was resulting in an increased use of high cost external placements'.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter