SIR - Around one in 20 children experience some form of sexual abuse before they reach 18 and three children in every classroom are thought to have a diagnosable mental health problem.

Evidence from Barnardo’s frontline services suggests a growing number of young people are facing multiple and overlapping dangers - from early trauma and neglect, to grooming and sexual abuse, through to criminal exploitation, drugs and gangs.

Our recent survey of police, teachers and social workers provides further evidence that increasing numbers of the most vulnerable children are coming into contact with services that are struggling to meet their needs. Having risen steadily for nine years, there are now over 70,000 children going into the care system every year. The demand for children’s services and growing complexity of need are outstripping resources available to local authorities. The scale and complexity of challenges facing children today demand a radical new approach.

At Barnardo’s we believe part of the answer is to develop radical new approaches to delivering children’s services, forming long-term strategic partnerships with councils, the police, NHS, and other charities, to co-design and deliver the services children, families and communities really need.

Javed Khan, Chief Executive, Barnardo’s