‘An ever-shrinking envelope of resources’ is putting children’s services under pressure and councils will not be able to absorb more cuts without it affecting provision, a report has warned.
The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) found inquiries to children’s social care have risen by 65% since 2007, reflecting a growing workload at a time when councils are facing increasing staffing issues.
Two-thirds of local authorities have recruitment and retention problems, according to the report.
During the last financial year there were 2.3 million initial contacts made to children’s social care and an 11% increase in referrals compared to the previous 12 months. But 38% of councils said demand had fallen, something ADCS believes is due to a focus on early help. However, such provision has had to be cut back and this could lead to increased pressure in the future.
Alan Wood, president of the ADCS, said spending on children’s social care services had ‘largely been protected by elected members to date’ but most councils believe this may not be possible from next year.
‘Significant reductions in early help services have been necessary to balance the books despite recognition that this will, in time, impact negatively on social care activity. Funding reductions in other areas of council business including adult social care, libraries and benefits coupled with those seen in other public agencies, especially the police, are now having a clear impact on the preventative offer and children’s social care services.’
‘Managing high-levels of demand within an ever-shrinking envelope of resources will continue to be a growing challenge for all directors of children’s services, their teams and frontline staff. No one should underestimate how hard local government has worked to minimise the impact of reducing resources and increasing demand but the signs are now all too visible that the system is approaching the limits of capacity to continue to absorb such pressures.’
