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Already overwhelmed children’s services are facing rising demand as benefit

游客2023-11-03  67
问题     Already overwhelmed children’s services are facing rising demand as benefit reforms hit struggling parents, all while council cuts threaten to push social care into an awkward place.
    Winter may have arrived early this year, but there are even more severe storms ahead for children’s services and for children and families in difficulty. Indeed, with services already overwhelmed, demand is set to increase further, and the public sector cuts will mean less help for children and fewer workers. All the trends and predictions are indicating a high speed crash for children’s social care. Too dramatic? Just consider the evidence.
    First, the increase in the workload for children’s services and for social workers is continuing, it started around the time that the terrible death of baby Peter Connelly gained so much media attention. Just-published figures for the past year show that the number of children referred to social care services was up again, by almost 57,000; 71,500 more children were identified as children in need; and there was a 17% increase in the number of children who have a child protection plan.
    These are frightening statistics The total number of children in need being assisted by local council social care services and social workers is now 376, 000 and there are 44,300 children in England with child protection plans.
    Let’s be clear about this. These are all children whose lives are very difficult and who are often in considerable danger. The rationing thresholds of local councils now mean that a child or family has to be in serious trouble and beyond a time of severe crisis before any attention is given, and then any help is often limited and may be only temporary.
    Second, the demand for assistance from councils and social workers will continue to rise. Increased poverty as benefits are cut, more children and families falling into poverty as unemployment increases, more family homelessness and disruption because of housing benefit changes, and cuts in schools and health services; all mean more parents under severe stress and less able to provide the emotional and physical care needed by their children.
    Third, with social care services and social workers already overwhelmed and with even more work coming their way, who would have thought this would be a sensible time to be cutting children’s services and social workers? But whether it is councils such as Birmingham, Derbyshire or Cumbria, which recently announced big cuts ahead, or indeed your local council, the picture is set to get even bleaker as the government this week tells councils how little money they will have for next year.
    Hold on to these simple but shocking deductions and do not be fooled by the rhetoric of localism. Less money, fewer services and workers, and increased demand to protect and assist a growing number of very vulnerable children means more catastrophes lie ahead. Local authorities are about to be given the freedom to cut essential care and protection services. But this is a freedom without choice. [br] The evidence shows______in regard to children’s social care.
选项 A、the workload for children’s services will continue to reduce
B、the requirement for help from social workers will continue to rise
C、the local councils will abolish the rationing thresholds
D、the councils will provide more money next year
答案 B
解析 细节题。本文列举了三个证据证明儿童社会关怀面临的严峻问题。第二个证据在本文第六段第一句提到，即得到地方议会和社会工作者帮助的要求将持续上升。所以[B]“得到社会工作者帮助的要求将持续上升”是正确的陈述，故为正确答案。第一个证据在本文的第三段：儿童服务和社会工作者的工作量将持续增长，所以[A]“儿童服务的工作量将持续减少”是错误的表述，故排除；第五段的最后一句表明，地方议会的定量配给门槛使孩子及其家庭更难得到帮助，这是对儿童社会关怀面临严峻问题的一个事实例证，而[C]“地方议会将废除定量配给门槛”不符合文意，故排除；第三个证据在第七段，该段最后一句表明地方政府明年的资金投人将会更少，所以[D]“地方议会明年将提供更多的资金”也应排除。
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