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Thousands of children are being left in neglect because of ‘severe cuts’ to social services, a charity warns today.

Action for Children says as many as 36,000 kids did not initially get the help they needed from cash-strapped councils in the last two years.

Despite being at risk of abuse or neglect they had to be referred back to social services because they did not get the support first time, the charity says.

It says councils are being put in an “impossible position” because of falling budgets and rising demands.

As a result they are missing chances to intervene early and prevent harm to children “year after year.”

It says one council left an unnamed six-year-old boy living in squalor and forced to survive on crisps, sausage rolls and fried chicken because it rejected “repeated referrals” by a health visitor to take him into care.

“Early opportunities were missed to help him and his family a number of times when the alarm was raised. Sadly, the system failed him,” the charity says.

Imran Hussain, Action for Children’s policy and campaigns director, said: “It’s simply horrifying that thousands of children are being left to face the potential risk of abuse or neglect, not just once but again and again.

(Image: Getty)

“Every day at Action for Children we see the heart-breaking results of families suffering at the hands of domestic abuse, neglect, or drug addiction – these are scars that stay with children for the rest of their lives.

"But we know things can turn out differently if councils are able to step in with early help to stop these problems spiralling out of control.

“Councils are being put in an impossible position and children are stuck in a revolving door – repeatedly referred to children’s services but only getting help when problems reach crisis point.

“The government must urgently put an end to the punishing funding cuts which give councils no option but to drastically shrink children’s support services.

“Otherwise more and more vulnerable children will be left at potential risk and without the early help they desperately need.”

Cllr Roy Perry, vice chairman of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Government should not ignore the repeated warnings around the need to properly fund children’s services, which face a funding gap of nearly £2 billion by 2020 just to keep services running at current levels.

“As well as this worrying report, the recent care crisis review revealed that the number of applications to take children into care has more than doubled over a decade, while the Children’s Commissioner found nearly half of the total children’s services budget is now taken up by vital support for children in care.

“We have long warned of the rising demand councils face, with more than 180 children being placed on child protection plans every day to keep them safe from harm.

“This is no longer sustainable, with many areas struggling to cope. This report provides further evidence that children’s services is being pushed to the brink, as councils are now being forced to cut the very services which are designed to help children and families before problems escalate to the point where a child might need to come into care.”