VULNERABLE children living in Lancashire are being put at risk because social services bosses have no idea they are here, a shock report has revealed.

Scores of children’s homes that are not approved by Lancashire County Council are taking in children from outside the area, unbeknown to the authorities.

These include youngsters with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and behaviour problems.

County council bosses said the possibility of children “slipping through the net” was “a very significant issue of great concern” and an MP has promised to raise the issue within central government.

Children’s charities said they were aware of the significant “cross-boundary issues” raised in the study.

County councillor Pat Case, a member of the group that drew up the report and the chairman of Lancashire’s children’s scrutiny committee, said there was no way of knowing how many “looked-after” children were living in Lancashire.

She said: “There are homes in Lancashire that do not have any Lancashire children in them, because in some cases they are not deemed good enough for us to send our children there.

“Other authorities should inform Lancashire that these children are based within our jurisdiction, but often they don’t bother.

“These are real live children who are living in Lancashire homes, of whom we have no knowledge. If anything went wrong it would become our responsibility”.

Coun Case said she raised concerns about one children’s home with County Hall bosses but there was no record of it.

The report said: • At least 30 providers of children’s care in Lancashire were not approved by the county council.

• County Hall kept no record of how many of these homes exist in Lancashire and how many children were there.

• Other authorities sometimes placed their youngsters in these homes without telling Lancashire.

It said placing children in other areas often happened “at times of crisis” and administrative duties got “overlooked”.

It added: “This means there may be looked after young people living in Lancashire who are entirely unknown to the authorities.”

Although monitoring the children in the first instance remains the job of the authority they have come from, Lancashire County Council and its Safeguarding Children Board would be responsible for investigating if something went wrong. The county’s health and police services are also responsible for looking after everyone living in the area.

Coun Case added: “The fact is, there could be children living in Lancashire that we know nothing about. And the first we will hear about them is if something goes wrong.”

The report said there were 72 private children’s homes in Lancashire, of which 40 are “approved providers”.

It says: “This means that there are a significant number of private establishments that are not on the approved list. Whilst there may be a number of reasons for this, it is an issue of concern.”

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said he was “horrified” at the report’s findings and promised to raise it with ministers.

He said: “Youngsters are what matters here, not bureaucracy. I am absolutely horrified that there are children in homes that are not deemed fit by Lancashire county council.

“These youngsters tend to be the most vulnerable in society. It’s not rocket science for the county council to write to every social services department in the country asking whether they have placed children here. We want to make absolutely certain they are in the very best place for their needs.

“I can understand why, in certain circumstances, youngsters are placed in other areas. But this rule is there for a very good reason.

“If we think these homes are not fit enough for our youngsters, and Lancashire have done their homework, every council in the country ought to tap into that decision. Are they waiting for a tragedy to happen before all of a sudden alarm bells start ringing and they do something about it?

“It may well be that youngsters here or outside Lancashire may not be getting the proper care and we could well be failing them.”

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope added: “We are talking about some of the most vulnerable children in society and it should be the highest priority to ensure they are properly looked after.”

The safety of looked-after children, who are youngsters that are brought into the care of local authorities, has been brought into sharp focus by the Baby P tragedy in the London borough of Haringey.

When a new children’s home opens, it is legally obliged to register with Ofsted, but not with the county council.

County Hall bosses insist they do inform other authorities when placing youngsters outside Lancashire, which could happen if specialised expertise or facilities are required.

County Councillor Jennifer Mein, the cabinet member in charge of children, said: “It is unacceptable and it is something we are addressing. When Lancashire places children out of the authority the receiving authority does know.

“But there are occasions where children are placed in private residential establishments, run by a private firm, and we are not always informed.”

She said Lancashire County Council would take a lead on raising the problem with the government.