Leeds is the second largest city council in England in terms of both population and geographical area, and has the ambition to be the best city in the UK for children and young people to grow up in.
There are 174,133 children and young people aged under 18 in Leeds as estimated by the Office for National Statistics for 2023 (mid-year estimates published July 2024). This is of an overall population of 829,413. The under 25 population is 275,469, Leeds has a higher student population than the national average for local authorities.
The Leeds child population grew 10.9% in the last decade with around 10,000 children born each year in the decade up to 2018 (ONS), since then the birth rate has fallen 15%. The high birth years are now progressing through teenage years. 24% of Leeds communities (Index of Multiple Deprivation) are considered amongst the 10% most deprived nationally. 33% of the Leeds under-18 population live in those communities.
The January (2024) school census shows that 32.3% of children in reception to year 11 are from ethnically diverse backgrounds. 58.9% are from white British backgrounds and 3.5% from white European backgrounds. The younger the population the greater the diversity. 25.1% of children in primary school and 27.4 in secondary are eligible from free school meals (January 2024).
Safeguarding systems remain strong across the city, with feedback given at a recent JTAI inspection that, “strategic partnerships in Leeds are well embedded and mature, with leaders across all agencies being invested in the partnership and in reducing the risks to children to make Leeds a safer city.”
In December 2023 the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children statuary guidance set out the updated legislative safeguarding requirements that applies to individuals, organisations and agencies. It set out the framework for the three local safeguarding partners (the local authority, Integrated Care Board and local police force) to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of local children, including identifying and responding to their needs. It also provided the framework for the two child death review partners (the local authority and ICB) to make arrangements for reviewing all deaths of children normally resident in the local area, and if they considered it appropriate, for those not normally resident in the area.
In preparation for the new guidance and as a response to its publication, the Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs) in Leeds have spent the year further developing the safeguarding arrangements for the city. A 7 point plan was initially developed, to ensure readiness for the publication of the updated guidance. This plan was then updated in January 2024, as a response to the publication, and was enhanced further by a development plan, which is overseen by the DSPs, collectively known as the LSCP Executive in Leeds. This plan will ensure the implementation of the new Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance and ensures that the partnership can monitor progress.
The new arrangements will be published here on our website, in line with the requirements of Working Together 2023 and the current arrangements are described in this report.