COUNCIL chiefs in Bradford have said they take the protection of youngsters "very seriously" - after new figures showed a rise in the number of children in need. 

Department of Education figures show there were 6,165 children assessed as requiring help and protection because of risks to their development or health in Bradford as of March 31 this year – up from 5,979 the year before.

Children in need include unborn children, as well as young people aged 18 or over who continue to receive care, accommodation or support from children's services.

The rate of children in need in Bradford was 439 per 10,000 children, well above England's overall rate of 343 per 10,000.

Iryna Pona, Children's Society head of policy, said the statistics underscore the persistent challenges many young people face.

Meanwhile, Louise Gittins, chair of the Local Government Association's (LGA) children and young people board, said the figures highlight the growing pressure on councils to support vulnerable children and families.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "We take the protection of children very seriously and work closely with our partners in the police, health, schools and the voluntary sector to help children whenever an issue is identified.

"In April this year, we launched the Bradford Children and Families Trust which is working hard to ensure that children and young people who need extra protection and support get it.

"There are many factors that contribute to children being in need but a key one is poverty and the cost of living crisis, on the back of the pandemic, has made things tough for a lot of families across our district.

"We have seen a rising demand for support for children and that has put immense pressure on the council budget.

"We are hoping that the chancellor will announce more funds to help councils support children in need in his Autumn Statement later this month."

Across England, there were more than 640,000 referrals requesting services for children in 2023, down 1.5 per cent from 2022.

In Bradford, there were 9,193 referrals last year.

Of them, 34.2 per cent were found to not need services.

After a child is referred to children's social care services, an assessment is carried out to identify the primary need for services.

Some factors identified in assessments in Bradford included domestic abuse concerns where the parent is a victim (12 per cent), mental health concerns about the parent (11 per cent) and emotional abuse (nine per cent).