Torfaen has highest number of children in care in Wales
The council has made additional funds, from its reserves, available to cover the shortfall but has also since last autumn had a recovery plan to reduce costs in children's care. It finished the financial year with a £3m children's services overspend while the budget for this year is more than £24m and it could have to use £500,000 from the support fund.
Councillor Richard Clark the cabinet member responsible described the spending as 'unsustainable' but said changes made as a result of tackling rising costs are also intended to better support children. He said: 'More importantly to me it is giving better chances to those individuals'.
He said the numbers in the authority's care have reduced since January and had fallen to 316 but increased by an additional child on Monday while Jason O'Brien, the strategic director for children and family services said the figure on Tuesday, when his report was discussed by the cabinet, was 315.
'Since January our children looked after population has reduced at an accelerated rate and we continue to narrow the gap with the Welsh national average,' said Mr O'Brien.
Steps to reduce costs have included establishing an early intervention hub to better support families in need of support and the council has also opened its own small children's home, in partnership with a housing association, with another to open shortly to reduce the cost of residential placements and use of those outside of Torfaen.
By the end of June the council had also placed more children with its own in-house foster carers and reduced the number placed with those from more expensive independent fostering agencies.
A revamp of staffing structures within children's services is also due to take effect from August 4 and that will base staff around demands on the service rather than location.
Torfaen's Labour leader Cllr Anthony Hunt praised the work of the 'necessary confidential but vital' service and said it was 'good to focus on the people and not just the figures'.
The Panteg councillor said: 'In the current political climate people say councils should be run more like a business but we're not a business we're a public service and provider of last resort and supporting vulnerable people. The finance works hand in hand with better outcomes for individuals.'
He added he was pleased youngsters in the council's care can 'live locally around their other support networks.'
Torfaen has the highest rate of children looked after per 100,000 of the population under 18 years in Wales, though the figure has reduced since 2021 when it peaked at 232 per 100,000, an actual figure of 479 children in care.
The figure reported to the Welsh Government, in May, was 316 which was 169 children per 100,000 in care while the council has targeted reducing the number of children looked after to 296 for the 2026/27 financial year and it is confident its figures suggest that will be achieved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business News Wales
16 minutes ago
- Business News Wales
AberInnovation Joins Welsh Government Backed Helix Programme
AberInnovation, the innovation and enterprise campus at Aberystwyth University, has officially joined the Helix Programme – a Welsh Government-supported initiative helping food and drink businesses across Wales innovate, grow, and thrive. As a newly appointed delivery partner, AberInnovation will lead the connectivity between food and drink innovation and the academic sector in Wales and the provision of the programme's Proof of Concept Plan, designed to support the early stages of product and process innovation. The Helix Programme is a collaborative effort bringing together the expertise of four key partners: AberInnovation, ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Food Centre Wales in Ceredigion, and Coleg Menai's Food Technology Centre in Llangefni. Rooted in the ambitions of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, the Helix Programme aims to empower agrifood and drink businesses to boost productivity, champion sustainability, and deliver long-term value to communities and the Welsh economy. AberInnovation's Proof of Concept Plan focuses on concept-driven support, helping businesses plan the requirements of validating innovative ideas, assess feasibility capabilities in Wales, and establish the technical groundwork for future development. This offer is particularly valuable for entrepreneurs and start up companies working on ingredient innovation, novel foods, or natural product development. 'We're delighted to bring our unique expertise to the Helix Programme,' said Dr Rhian Hayward MBE, CEO of AberInnovation. 'Our role is to help entrepreneurs and businesses move confidently from idea to impact, with structured, expert-led support that de-risks innovation and sets them up for long-term success. AberInnovation is delighted to join with the partners to compliment the already substantial capabilities and support on offer in Wales for food and drink innovation.' Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change & Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies said: 'I'm delighted to see AberInnovation joining the Helix Programme as we continue to strengthen Wales' position as a leader in food and drink innovation. This partnership brings together some of our finest academic institutions and innovation centres to support businesses at every stage of their journey, from ambitious start-ups to established producers looking to break new ground. 'The Helix Programme perfectly embodies our commitment to building a more prosperous and sustainable Wales. By connecting cutting-edge research with real-world business challenges, we're helping Welsh food and drink companies develop the innovative solutions that will drive productivity, create jobs, and position Wales at the forefront of the global food revolution. 'With AberInnovation's expertise in early-stage innovation now complementing the existing strengths of our Helix partners, we're creating an ecosystem where great Welsh ideas can flourish. This is exactly the kind of collaborative approach that will help us deliver on our economic missions whilst staying true to the principles of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.' This offer is open to companies of all sizes in Wales and across the food and drink supply chain – from start-ups and producers to established brands. To find out more or apply, visit here .
North Wales Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Fact check: Recognising a Palestinian state, misleading tsunami video and deportations vs returns
Is the Government on track with its pledge to recognise a Palestinian state? On July 29, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would recognise Palestine as a state in September, ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, unless Israel meets certain conditions. Labour's manifesto committed to formally recognising a Palestinian state 'as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution'. A 'two-state solution' refers to a proposed framework to resolve the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in which a sovereign Palestinian state is established alongside Israel. Previous efforts at a peace process did not result in a sovereign Palestinian state. UK governments have long been in favour of a two-state solution, as well as recognising a Palestinian state as part of a process towards that goal. All members of the G7 group of countries have pledged support for a two-state solution, as has the EU and China. Palestine is currently designated by the UN as a 'permanent observer state', a form of non-member state, meaning it cannot vote on decisions made by the UN's main organs and bodies, such as the General Assembly. However, the majority of UN member states have formally recognised Palestine. According to media reports, as of July 2025, some 147 UN member states formally recognised Palestinian statehood, not including France, which in the same month committed to recognising Palestine at the General Assembly in September. The UK is not included in this figure, although it does have a Consulate General in Jerusalem to assist British nationals in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It has been reported that a number of UK peers have questioned the legal basis for any recognition of a Palestinian state. Full Fact has contacted the Government for comment on this. How fact checkers helped set the record straight on PM's viral video When 31-year-old Abby Raworth first realised her photo and name were being shared online – falsely linked to a viral video involving the Prime Minister – she assumed it was a mix-up. Posts on social media claimed that the woman in the video was not mum-of-three Nicola but was really a 'paid actress' or 'actress and agent' named Abby Raworth. Full Fact's investigation brought to light how much was being written about her online 'without any regard for if it was correct or not.' Abby has spoken to Full Fact about her experience, telling us: 'What shocks me is how little people bothered to do regarding checks before they used someone's name and accused them of something. There is a lack of accountability for what comes out of peoples' mouths and if it had happened to any of those people they would have a different opinion on it.' We're grateful to Abby for sharing her story to help show exactly why Full Fact exists to counter the harm caused by misinformation. Old tsunami video circulates amid Pacific evacuations A video circulating online amid major evacuations across the Pacific is claimed to show a tsunami which has taken 'thousands of lives'. But this is misleading. The footage shows three people, including the person filming, narrowly escape huge waves that crash into some small boats on a shore. It was shared online following news of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia, which triggered the evacuation of almost two million people across Japan. Warnings were also put in place in other locations including Hawaii, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru and China. A caption shared with the video said: 'Massive Earthquake triggers Tsunami taking thousands of lives in seconds with little to no warning.' But this footage is not current, or related to the earthquake in Russia or the subsequent tsunami warnings. It actually showed a tsunami which occurred on the west coast of Greenland in 2017, triggered by a landslide. That tsunami did not kill 'thousands', as stated in the social media posts. Four people were killed, and nine others were injured. The same footage has been wrongly shared in the wake of other earthquakes before. Has Labour carried out 'record deportations'? Labour MP Mike Tapp recently claimed that the Government has carried out 'record deportations'. We've frequently seen MPs and ministers using the word 'deportations' when referring to all immigration returns. Not all immigration returns are 'deportations'. We don't actually know how many meet the official definition of a deportation, which the Home Office defines as 'a specific subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person's removal from the UK is conducive to the public good'. We do know, however, that enforced returns – the category of returns which includes deportations – account for a minority (26%) of all returns carried out under Labour during its first year in office. According to ad-hoc figures published by the Home Office, during Labour's first year in office a total of 35,052 returns were recorded. We don't have the data to compare this exact period to the same period in previous years, but official immigration statistics show that this figure is not a record for the number of immigration returns over a 12-month period, going back to 2004 when this data series began. These figures show that immigration returns over a 12-month period were consistently above 40,000 between 2010 and 2016, for example. It does appear, however, that the 35,052 returns in the first year of this Labour government represents the highest 12-month figure since 2017. While we don't know how many of these returns were official 'deportations', the figures show that the 9,115 enforced returns carried out between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025 also do not represent a record. While this figure is the highest number of enforced returns carried out over a 12-month period since 2018, prior to 2018 enforced returns were consistently above 10,000 over a 12-month period. MPs should use statistics transparently and with all relevant context and caveats, and quickly rectify oversights when they occur.
Powys County Times
42 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Last wheat delivered to largest bioethanol plant under threat after trade deal
The UK's largest bioethanol plant says it has received its final scheduled wheat delivery as crisis talks continue with the Government to try to keep it open. Vivergo Fuels, near Hull, has said it is facing closure within weeks following the decision to end the 19% tariff on American bioethanol imports as part of the recent UK-US trade deal. The plant buys more than a million tonnes of British wheat each year from more than 4,000 farms and says it has purchased from 12,000 individual farms over the past decade. Managing director Ben Hackett wrote to growers earlier this year explaining that the plant will only be able to honour existing contractual obligations for wheat purchases while uncertainty continues. Mr Hackett said the last scheduled load arrived at the plant on Friday. Last month, Vivergo, which is owned by Associated British Foods (ABF), said it is was beginning consultation with staff to wind down the plant, which employs more than 160 people, due to the uncertain situation – a process which could see production stop before September 13, if support is not provided. It said Britain's two largest bioethanol producers – Vivergo and Ensus in Teesside – are now in urgent negotiations with the Government. The firms say the UK-US trade deal and regulatory constraints on the industry have made it impossible to compete with heavily subsidised American products. Mr Hackett said on Friday: 'We have a choice of going down a path of stagnation, decline, unemployment, economy shrinking, or we have a choice of going towards a path of investment, growth, prosperity, job creation, and that's why it's crucially important that the Government comes to a decision quickly, and comes to a decision in favour of supporting the UK bioethanol industry.' Farmer Matt Pickering, of Pickering and Sons, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, sold the last load of wheat to Vivergo. Mr Pickering said: 'We struggle with the quality of our land type, so we tend to go for out-and-out bulk volume shed fillers. Vivergo has been a fantastic home for us to sell feed wheat into.' Mike Green, owner of haulage company AgHaul, who transported the last load to the plant, said: 'We're in the dark. We don't know where we're going. 'It's very uncertain, uncharted waters, and it's worrying as we've already seen a decline in work.' The landmark came as Meld Energy said the uncertainty over the plant is putting its plans for a 'world-class' green jet fuel project on the Humber in jeopardy. Earlier this year, Meld Energy signed a £1.25 billion agreement with Vivergo Fuels to anchor a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) facility at Saltend Chemicals Park in Hull. Meld Energy chief executive and founder Chris Smith said: 'We're excited about the potential to bring our sustainable aviation fuel project to the Humber – one of the UK's most important industrial and energy hubs. 'But, for projects like ours to succeed and the flow of vital investment to be forthcoming, we need a strong and integrated low-carbon ecosystem. 'A bioethanol plant on site at Saltend is a critical part of that mix. Without it, we'd have to consider alternative locations overseas where that infrastructure is already in place.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We recognise this is a concerning time for workers and their families which is why we entered into formal discussions with the company on potential financial support last month. 'We will continue to take proactive steps to address the long-standing challenges the company faces and remain committed to working closely with them throughout this period to present a plan for a way forward that protects supply chains, jobs and livelihoods.' The Government said officials and ministers have met with Vivergo and Ensus consistently over the last few months to discuss options to address 'significant challenges' that the bioethanol industry has been facing for some time. It said engagement with the companies 'continues at pace' and external consultants have been brought in to help.
