THE number of children looked after by Monmouthshire council rose by 20 per cent in the last six months.

A report by county councillor Liz Hacket Pain, cabinet member for children, young people and learning, says the average number of looked after children between September 2009 and September 2011 was 85.

Six out of 19 children in foster care were unaccompanied asylum seekers and only one child has been adopted since April 2011, due to the needs of children and not due to a lack of adopters.

In the report, Mrs Hacket Pain said the reason for the recent rise in the number of looked after children is not clear but could be part of a national trend.

The report finds the number of cases of children over 16 being cared for by the council has decreased because many of the unaccompanied asylum seeking children are reaching the age of 18.

There has been an increase in the number of foster carers, bringing the total to 46.

Of those, 13 have been approved since April, with a further nine expected to be approved in the next three months.

This will enable the service to provide more placements within the county.

In September 2011, 19 children were placed with in-house carers, of these six were unaccompanied asylum seekers, four are children with disabilities who attend residential education facilities and two were in specialist parent and baby placements, whilst their parents’ abilities to care for them long term are assessed.

The report will be presented to the full council at County Hall tomorrow.