Care system needs fixing as Bradford Council’s costs show - The Yorkshire Post says

Private companies making huge sums of money out of vulnerable children would make any reasonable minded person wince.

Local authorities have seen their budgets take a battering, with many in danger of effectively going bankrupt, as a result of them being forced to bid for places at privately run homes.

Former Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield recently warned that the needs of vulnerable children were not being prioritised as the care system was being driven by profit.

It is untenable to expect councils to continue to spend the amounts that they are currently on Children’s Services.

Bradford alone faces an overspend of £68m in the coming year, with Children’s Services alone likely coming in £45m over budget.

It also means there is less funding for early intervention work, which prevents children from being taken into care.

That is why Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, is right to call for a cap on agency fees and placement costs.

She also makes the important point of not overlooking the need to look after children. As she says “regardless of the money, these are children's lives and we cannot skimp on them”.

Private companies run more than 80 per cent of children’s homes in England and a shortage of places has driven up prices in recent years.

The current system is not working and the Government cannot leave it to market forces to correct the situation. An overhaul is needed urgently.