The rise in demand and escalating costs for children’s services is a brewing crisis for local authorities across the country.

Each month appears to bring with it fresh warnings from councils unable to keep pace with the number of children in care and the Local Government Association has warned of a mammoth £1.9bn funding gap for the sector by the end of the decade.

And with three-quarters of councils failing to impress Ofsted – some dramatically – children and young people in many parts of the country are potentially at risk.