Hertfordshire County Council has been accused of failing to provide suitable support and care to looked-after children following the publication of statistics by the Department for Education (DfE) during the first national adoption week, launched by the government yesterday.

The DfE’s performance figures (see comparison spreadsheet attached) clearly show how the county is failing in providing suitable services for its looked-after children. Out of 15 indicators covering Placements, Adoption, Attainments and Leaving Care, Hertfordshire was better than the national average in only four.

“The figures tell a sorry tale,” said Mark Watkin, Herts Lib Dem spokesperson for Education and Children’s Services. “The key indicators show how far Conservative-run Hertfordshire has to travel to deliver suitable care to its children.”

According to the statistics, Hertfordshire came in the bottom third of the 152 Local Authorities in England in three areas: the percentage of looked-after children who were moved out of their local area to be looked after, the percentage of those who were waiting for the adoption process to be completed after 12 months, and the percentage of previously looked-after children who were in suitable accommodation at age 19.

When it comes to completing the adoption process, one in three children in Hertfordshire were still waiting for the process to be completed after twelve months, compared with a national average of one in four, with the best local authority having no children waiting that long. Out of the 152 Local Authorities, Hertfordshire came joint 119th.

One in seven of the 19 year-olds who had been looked after by the county were living in unsuitable accommodation, compared with a national average of one in ten, and with the best performing authorities having none.

One in eight children had more than three foster placements in a year to 2011, placing Hertfordshire joint 86th nationally, while the best local authority had none. Finally, only 9% of Hertfordshire’s children looked after taking GCSEs achieved 5 x A*-Cs, compared with the best Local Authority (Lib Dem-run London Borough of Sutton), where looked-after children achieved a GCSE pass rate of 25%.

Mark Watkin concluded: ‘For a relatively resource-rich county to be so far behind the expected standard in so many different aspects of our children’s care is unacceptable. The Conservative administration is failing in its duty of care to these young people and needs to address all these areas as a matter of priority.’