Responding to reports of new research which suggests the number of violent deaths among children in England and Wales has fallen by almost 40% in the past 30 years, Cllr Shireen Ritchie, who chairs the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“People who do the hard work of protecting children from neglect and harm will never be complacent about the need to strive to do the best they can at all times. The death of even a single child is one too many.
“The news that the number of children dying at the hands of others has fallen so far since the 1970s is a testament to the hard work put in by front-line staff in councils, as well as in the police and health service.
“Social workers do complex and demanding jobs, making delicate decisions which can change the path of people’s lives. The difference they make is clear. It’s important we all spare a thought for the effort social workers put in, which is often unobserved and unappreciated.”