Social housing and welfare reforms could undermine the delivery of child protection services, MPs have been warned.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Commons education select committee, Jane Held, independent chair for Leeds and Birmingham Safeguarding Children Boards, expressed concern that new local benefit caps, for example, could impact on child neglect figures – as families flee from high-cost neighbourhoods to areas of low-cost housing. Ms Held said significant housing stocks would make Leeds a ‘net importer' of families.