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A child is referred to social services every 49 seconds, shock figures reveal today.

There were 646,120 referrals overall to councils’ children’s services during 2016/17. With 1,770 referrals being made every day, that is the equivalent of one every 49 seconds.

But the Local Government Association, which represents 370 councils across England and Wales, will today (FRI) warn social workers are struggling to cope amid soaring demand and Tory cuts.

They face being unable to investigate suspected harm to vulnerable kids because of a £2billion funding black hole.

Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said the figures “highlight the staggering scale of the pressures that have now been building on children’s services for a number of years”.

(Image: AFP)

He added: “With councils now having a child referred to them every 49 seconds on a daily basis, it is vital that they have the resources necessary to provide an effective response.

“The Government has been warned repeatedly that ongoing funding cuts, including the £2billion gap that councils face by 2020, have left them struggling to provide the support that vulnerable children and families need.

“The £2billion funding gap must be addressed in the final Local Government Finance Settlement to ensure the support that families need from council child protection services is there now and in years to come.”

And Mr Watts added: “Unless there is an injection of funding to support crucial early intervention, many more vulnerable children remain at risk.”

More than 500 child protection investigations were launched every day on average in 2016/17. This is up from 200 just a decade ago.