‘Short-sighted’ Government cuts are putting crucial early help services for children and families at risk, and six out of 10 of councillors fear provision will be reduced.
The findings come in a new study by National Children’s Bureau, Action for Children and The Children’s Society, which warns current projections show funding for early intervention will be cut by 71% over the course of this decade.
A survey of more than 500 elected members found 87% believe early help for children is a high priority for their local authority but 59% expect Government funding cuts to lead to a reduction in services.
Kate Mulley, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said: ‘Governments have hacked away at the budget for early help, and we are set to see further reductions, which is simply short-sighted. Intervening when a crisis occurs instead of working at an early stage to prevent it from happening, has a devastating cost both in social and financial terms.
‘The Government has committed to improving children's life chances, in particular, giving the most disadvantaged children the start they need. This report raises questions about how this objective will be achieved and whether local authorities will have the capacity to invest in services for children, young people and parents.’
Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said despite widespread support for early intervention, those running services have ‘had the rug pulled from under their feet’ thanks to cutbacks.
‘Before making further cuts we urge the government to consider the long-term decline in how we support these services and in turn the severe consequences it has for the children and families that rely on them,’ she said.
Peter Grigg, external affairs director at The Children’s Society, said despite Government claims of a commitment to early intervention, the report’s analysis showed ‘this rhetoric is not matched by investment in the very services that can prevent future spending on picking up the pieces’.
Cllr Richard Watts, vice chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said councils were facing ‘difficult choices’ in how to allocate resources with budgets stretched further by rising demand for high end child protection services.
‘There needs to be an urgent reform on how funding is allocated across the range of early intervention services to encourage joint working and savings and avoid duplication. This will allow councils to further build support around the needs of families and shift the emphasis from crisis spending towards longer term prevention services.’
For more on this story, visit The MJ (£).
