DISTURBING figures reveal that a total of almost 500 young people in the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham are now classified as CLAs - children being looked after.
According to a report, the number of looked after children is continuing to increase.
Within North East Lincolnshire, the rate stands at 145 per 10,000 children - higher than the all-England average.
NEL is 14th out of 15 in Yorkshire and Humber region.
Of particular concern is that, locally, the number has increased by 41 per cent since April last year and by 12 per cent in the financial year to date.
The report further states that the gender-balance is 53 per cent male, 43 per cent female.
Meanwhile another disappointing statistic is that complaints to NELC’s children’s social care department saw a 13 per cent increase in 2018-19 compared with 2017-18.
A total of 59 complaints have been received this financial year of which 36 complaints (74 per cent) were partially upheld or upheld.
Of the 36, 17 relate to lack of social worker contact/availability and nine relate to staff behaviour and concerns about quality of service.
The situation is this evening due to be discussed by a council scrutiny panel under the chairmanship, appropriately enough, of Cllr Oliver Freeston - the authority's youngest member who is not yet a decade out of childhood himself.
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