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“These figures emphasise how vital it is that next week’s Autumn Statement ensures that children’s services are adequately funded so councils can meet this rising demand and ensure children and their families get the support they need, as soon as they need it.

A coalition of councils, charities and campaigners - including those with experience of the children’s care system - has written a joint open letter to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt urging him in Wednesday’s Autumn Statement to provide the funding children’s social care “desperately needs…before it is pushed to the brink”.

The number of children’s social care placements costing £10,000 or more per week has risen sharply in five years, a survey of councils by the Local Government Association reveals today.

New figures show the number of investigations carried out by councils where a child is thought to be at risk of harm is on average over 600 every day, underlining the need for councils to be adequately funded in next month’s Autumn Budget.

Latest figures released today show there are 81,770 children in the care of councils.

“While it is encouraging to hear that the majority of children in care say life is getting better, clearly this important report highlights areas of concern, in particular the decline in wellbeing for care leavers.