Rise in demand for children's services prompts Sheffield Council to recruit extra staff

The council is setting aside an extra £740,000 to meet an anticipated rise in demand for children's social care.

Up to £40,000 will be spent on providing a one year programme of domestic abuse interventions for youngsters up to the age of 19.

And 22 additional staff will be recruited to Multi Agency Support Teams to deal with the increase in demand from new early help or social care referrals. Around £700,000 will be spent on the extra MAST staff.

In a report, Carly Speechley, director of children and families, says: "The expansion in early help services is required due to pressures placed on services and the children and families who access them, as a result of changes in demand due to Covid-19.

"Currently MAST staff manage around 600 new referrals per month. During lockdown we have ensured this service has remained available to all families referred for support.

"We should anticipate a minimum of 500 additional early help and social care cases as lockdown eases."

She said it was important for services to intervene quickly to avoid further "unnecessary escalation" into more expensive types of provision.

"Early intervention by MAST professionals ensures the correct support is offered to vulnerable children and families in a timely manner, reducing waiting lists and removing blockers to accessing services.

"They are a realistic response to an increasingly challenging situation brought about by the measures to tackle COVID-19.”

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