From prevention to reconnection: working towards a multi-agency system that keeps more families together

The number of children in care across England’s county authorities has risen by 29% over the past decade, and expenditure on placements has increased by 240%. Without change, costs could reach £4.74bn per year by 2035, yet our analysis shows that £4.67bn of cumulative cost avoidance is achievable if the right system shifts are made.

We have produced this report in partnership with the Society of County Treasurers (SCT) and the County Councils Network (CCN) to provide an evidence base for how the multi-agency children’s services system can be better anchored in prevention and reconnection. Drawing on three years of data from nine county authorities and case reviews of over 100 children’s stories, the report identifies five priority system shifts and the local and national enablers needed to deliver them.

Among the headline findings: for 80% of children who come into care, it is the needs of vulnerable adults (mental health, substance misuse, or domestic abuse) placing the child at risk, yet those needs received specialist support in only half of cases; and 40% of children enter care without prior local authority support, despite 88% already being known to system partners such as police, health, or education.