Care and safety

The number of cases open to children’s social care in Gloucestershire has been higher than peers but in recent years has started to reduce and we are becoming more in line with our peers, from 2022 to 2023 there were 331.9 per 10,000 children open to social care compared to 303.79 for our statistical neighbours and 311.9 across the South West region.

We have observed a steady increase in referrals for early help and targeted support in recent years, which in part reflects earlier intervention to prevent children escalating to social care. In July 2024 there were 10,101 children open on a My Plan or My Plan Plus, of these 80% were notified by education or early years settings, 13% to Gloucestershire County Council services such as Families First and the Education Inclusion Team, 5% to children and family centres and 1% to a combination of health agencies and the voluntary and community sector.

First time entrants to Youth Justice System are below the England average at 80.4 per 100,000 vs. 148.8. While White children are underrepresented in the offending population, mixed heritage children are the most over-represented at 15% despite only making up 5% of the total 10-17 year old population in Gloucestershire. Using the term ‘child’ in this context is particularly important to emphasise their relative vulnerability, rights and needs and avoid ‘adultification’.

In the Pupil Wellbeing Survey 7.1% reported carrying a weapon. The highest reported level of carrying a weapon (10.4%) was in independent schools, this was significantly higher than the county average.

Pupils at selective schools were significantly less likely to report carrying a weapon. The percentage reporting carrying a weapon has been fairly consistent over time. Of these 63.3% report carrying a bladed weapon.