Lancashire runaway children costing police and taxpayers £5m

It is estimated that the financial strain of dealing with the issue is costing police and taxpayers around £5million per year.

County council watchdogs fear hundreds of vulnerable children, placed in care homes across the area, are being allowed to ‘slip through the net’ and are at greater risk of acquiring criminal records and failing at school.

And they are alarmed that, without a proper register of those being placed in county care homes, their needs, and the risks they may pose, will go unchallenged.

Just two years ago Lancashire Police was forced to step in and apply for the closure of Brighton House in Waterfoot, after teenagers went on the rampage across the Rossendale valley.

And in 2008, 13-year-old Jamie Smith, who absconded from the Higher Cockham Farm home in Haslingden, was jailed for 13 years after he pushed a man into a bonfire in Birkenhead.

The figures have been included in a report entiled ‘Who Cares?’ that has been drafted by a task group of the county council’s scrutiny committee.

It has already sparked controversy, with county councillor Susie Charles, the executive member for children’s services, being accused of ‘complacency’ and attempting to ‘bury’ the report.

But Coun Charles has denied the claims and insisted several recommendations, including establishing a multi-agency hub for looked-after children, were being taken forward.

In the report, into placements by other north-west authorities into dozens of Lancashire homes, both council-run and independently-managed, county councillors have been told how:

* One boy at a Rossendale care home went missing 11 times in a short period - but his social worker had not visited him for three months.

* Five homes in Bacup were responsible for 80 missing from home reports.

* One youngster was reported to have gone missing 40 times.

* Children at a Wyre home were found taking drugs, drinking in the street and engaging in under-age sex.

* One ‘prolific’ young offender, who was placed in a unnamed private care home in East Lancashire without notifying police or social services, created 'havoc' before he could be moved.

But it is the question of ‘missing from homes’ which has generated some of the most serious responses from consultees.

Despite protocols being drafted by Lancashire Police to deal with such cases, around 425 per month involving looked-after children, placed from outside the county, are being reported.

Det Supt Ian Critchley, head of the county’s public protection unit, who was interviewed by the watchdog group, estimated that each case cost the force around £1,000 to deal with, in terms of officers resources, as well as the disruption to other services.

Youth magistrates have also questioned the ‘zero tolerance’ approach being taken by some private care homes - for instance one youngster was referred to court for breaking a cup.

JPs felt that staff at the independent care homes should make greater efforts to resolve minor problems without constant referrals to the youth justice system.

County councillor Peter Steen, who represents Whitworth and chaired the task group, said the looked-after children, especially those with personal difficulties, should not be ‘demonised’.

“The vast majority of children who are looked after is because there are problems in their background,” said Coun Steen.

“They are not bad, it is not their fault but they need support. But also the police need to be aware if there is someone who is vulnerable who is coming on to their patch. They need to be able to offer support.”

One of the key areas highlighted by the county council task group was the practice of ‘double funding’.

Private care home operators can often expect payments of up to £100,000, for arranging just one placement for a child with complex needs, from outside the county boundaries.

But the cost was then transferred on to local authorities, like Lancashire, when these youngsters required the urgent intervention of specialist health agencies, police or social services.