The number of ‘serious incidents’ involving children has risen significantly in the last year, Ofsted has reported.
Local authorities must report any incident of harm or neglect of children to Ofsted and these may lead to a serious case review. Incidents considered ‘serious’ can include the death of a child or concerns about professional practice.
More local authorities reported to Ofsted this year than in 2014, according to the inspectorate’s newly released figures. Last year, 103 authorities reported ‘serious incidents’, but this year 117 of them did so.
There were a total of 385 such incidents in 2014-15, which represents a 29 per cent increase on the previous year. The number of reported cases which involved the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child by someone outside the family rose from 35 to 61 in the same time. These incidents made up a larger proportion of the total than they did in the previous year, rising from 25.9 per cent to 31.3 per cent.
Earlier this week, the Department for Education revealed that almost 50,000 children were the subject of protection plans over the course of a year.
To read the full Ofsted serious incidents statistics, click here.
Photo by Guillaume Brialon via Flickr
