Children’s and adult social care services could fail to support
everyone they need to despite making up nearly two-thirds of
councils’ total spending due to rising demand, increasing costs
and inadequate funding, local leaders warn today.
New analysis by the Local Government Association shows that
social care-providing authorities, who want to be able to support
all children and adults to lead an equal life, are now spending
more than 60 per cent of their outgoings on these essential
services, underlining the urgent need for action to address
immediate pressures now.
It comes as this year’s virtual National Children and Adult
Services Conference (NCASC) opens today (Wednesday), featuring
Health and Social Care Secretary , Chief Medical Officer for
England Prof , NHS England Chief Executive
Amanda Pritchard and Children’s Minister , among other high-profile
speakers over three days.
The LGA, which represents councils, says serious questions remain
about whether the expected £5.4 billion from the new Health and
Care Levy over the next three years will be enough to pay for
recently-announced adult social care reforms.
No funding was made available in the recent Spending Review to
address immediate pressures on adult social care, including
urgent action which is still needed on care worker pay and on
staff recruitment and retention. The LGA says money raised from
the new Levy should also be used to support frontline social
care, to stave off the worst of the pressures and provide a
degree of stability for the short- to medium-term.
The LGA also says that as well as existing and future pressures
on adult social care, spiralling demand on children’s social
services and future cost pressures in children’s social care are
set to increase by an estimated £600 million each year until
2024/25, with many councils finding themselves in the
unsustainable position of consistently having to overspend their
children’s services budgets.
Instead councils need the right level of funding to provide the
early intervention and prevention support to stop children
reaching crisis point in the first place.
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing
Board, said: “Everybody who is in need of social care to live
their best life, no matter their age, should be able to receive
it.
“Councils want to do all they can to help people to live the life
they want to lead, safe and well, but are now seriously concerned
they may be unable to meet their full range of legal duties
towards all those who need care and support.
“Steadily growing demand has seen councils with these
responsibilities devoting nearly two-thirds of their total
spending to both children’s and adult social care, which is
simply unsustainable.
“There is a very real risk that local residents will feel they
are paying twice with an increased social care precept on their
council tax bills, on top of the new health and care levy, yet
see their experience of social care services deteriorate due to
dwindling resources.
“The Government’s imminent white paper on adult social care
should set out precisely how money raised from the levy will
address all of its reforms, while also diverting more money to
the frontline to urgently meet immediate pressures, including on
care worker pay and staffing.
“Children’s social care also needs an immediate funding boost to
address a £600 million shortfall, amid spiralling demand and
rising costs while we await the outcome of the Independent Review
of Children’s Social Care.”
Ends
Contact Information
James Alexandre
james.alexandre@local.gov.uk
Notes to editors
This year’s NCASC, which runs from Wednesday 24-Friday 26
November, is free for media to sign up and attend virtually.
Full details of the programme,
including the complete lists of speakers and sessions, are
available.
Please follow the booking link at the
end of the webpage and register as a non-member using the
promotional code NCASCPS11 to attend this event.
The joining instructions will be sent out at least one hour
before the beginning of each webinar.
Any questions or queries, please email james.alexandre@local.gov.uk.
The LGA’s analysis is based on total service expenditure as
stated in provisional Revenue Outturn 2020/21 Summary data, i.e.
how much councils spend on each service. The figures for adult
social care and children’s social care have been combined.
It should not be used as an indicator of a share of councils’
overall budgets, which is calculated differently.
Education expenditure has been excluded from these calculations,
as this is a grant which passes through councils to schools.
