Section 3: Social inequalities
Extra support for families
Further evidence of inequalities between north and south are highlighted in Growing Up North (2018) which notes that,
'Like young people across England, northern children benefit from the incredible love, care and resilience of families and communities, even in the most adverse of conditions. But there are messages from social workers about the realities for children and their families. Parts of northern England experience significantly higher levels of demand with 600 referrals made to social services for every 10,000 children in the North East compared to only 374 per 10,000 in the East of England.
This pressure is felt by social workers who, on average, work with more than 19 children each in the North West compared 16 children per social worker in London. And these regional variations of need and demand disguise enormous variation from neighbourhood to neighbourhood' (Growing Up North)
As we move to a more community led, locality focussed model in Gateshead we aim to put a renewed focus on early intervention with families and support at the right time.
The Children's Commissioner also stated that earlier identification of special educational needs should be a public health priority. Too many children in the North are starting school with high-levels of development issues, but fewer children are having a special educational needs diagnosis before starting school. The earlier issues are identified the more effective - and cheaper - the support needed.