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From My Perspective:

Children’s Social Care – The Forgotten Council Service

Daniel Elmer Published: 02 March 2023

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Daniel Elmer

When we imagine the issues Norfolk County Council spends our taxes on, the first thing most people imagine is typically roads. The second possibly is libraries. Perhaps the third is caring for the elderly. Some may even assume it’s the bins (which are actually a District Council responsibility). What they probably don’t think of is Children’s Social Care. Last year, over £230m in Norfolk was spent on care for vulnerable young people; for context, that’s over £250 for every resident in Norfolk, including the children!

As an issue, it’s a topic that will feel distant to most readers. After all, everyone uses the roads, everyone anticipates growing old. No one anticipates having a child and not raising it. The very thought, and the reasons it could occur, are discomforting for us to think about. Perhaps because of this, as an issue that doesn’t attract the attention of either politicians or the public in the way other local issues do. It should. The cost alone is a reason for everyone to pay attention, and the truth is no one is truly shielded from it, no one anticipates it affecting them, until it does.

We can all be guilty of a tendency to stereotype when contemplating issues such as this. After all, we all know poor parenting, drugs, and family breakdowns exist, but they are ‘other’, not something that prevails in happy market towns like Wymondham.

If there is one thing my experience as a councillor has taught me, it's that these issues occur in the most unexpected of areas, with little regard for class, religion, or geography. In fact, when we consider geography, we should consider one of the assets that makes Wymondham such an attractive place to live, the train station, could also be an asset for the County Lines networks that steal the futures of vulnerable people across Britain. For anyone unaware, a county line is an organised criminal network that moves illegal drugs from a large city to a smaller settlement, they often exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store drugs, money, and weapons.

There are so many other worthy issues related to my work as County Councillor to discuss, such as the rise in eating disorders as we exit lockdown, that I couldn’t hope to fit in. I hope this little article will raise awareness and add another thought to your head next time you consider what your Council Tax is being spent on.

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