NEW figures have revealed that 11 children a week were placed on child protection plans in Bradford due to abuse or neglect risk.

The Government figures show the number of child protection plans started during the 2017-18 financial year stood at 582 in Bradford.

Of those in Bradford, 176 were cases of neglect, 87 were cases of physical abuse, 37 were cases of sexual abuse, and 282 were cases of emotional abuse when they were initially reported.

In the latest reports, 176 were neglect, 71 were physical, 35 were sexual, and 300 were emotional abuse.

Emotional abuse is when a child lives in a household where domestic abuse is taking place, though they are not being physically abused.

No children were recorded as being in multiple categories of abuse.

The figure for Bradford has dropped from 646 in 2017, but is an increase from 2016, when the number was 524.

The number of sexual abuse cases has dropped, but the number of children suffering physical and emotional abuse has gone up.

Almudena Lara, head of policy at the NSPCC, said: “These figures are a stark demonstration of the rising demand for children’s social care.

“Coupled with spending constraints, it is leaving too many children without the support they need.

“This is placing the system under increasing strain, with thousands of children waiting to be assessed for help nationally. It’s an affront to us as a society if we can’t support our most vulnerable children.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “Child protection plans are put in place after a child is taken into police protection or put under an emergency protection order, or if there is a strong suspicion that a child will suffer significant harm.

“We work closely with parents and carers to put in place what we need to do to make sure that the child is safe and so that the plans can be stepped down.

“The safety of children in our district is our primary concern and plans will only be stepped down when we are confident that the child is not at any risk or harm.”