Responding to Action for Children’s ‘Revolving Door’ report, Cllr
, Chair of the LGA’s
Children and Young People Board, said:
“This report rightly recognises the increased pressures facing
local authorities when it comes to protecting vulnerable
children. As a result of funding cuts and huge increases in
demand for services, the reality is that services for the care
and protection of vulnerable children are now, in many areas,
being pushed to breaking point.
“The number of referrals to local authority children’s services
has increased by almost 9 per cent over the past decade, while
the number of children placed on a child protection plan as a
result of those referrals has increased by more than 90 per cent.
This demonstrates the increasing level of need that councils are
seeing, and the significant efforts they are taking to ensure
that children are robustly protected.
“Not all referrals will need a formal intervention however, and
referrals closed with no further action will not necessarily
leave a child in need. It is important that local authorities and
their partners work closely to help children and families to
access the support they need when they need it, whether that
requires intervention from social services or not.
“But we know that reduced funding for local services has left
fewer resources to invest in early intervention, and Action for
Children are right to highlight the significant challenge facing
all agencies in making sure families can get help before problems
become more serious. The Early Intervention Grant has been cut by
£500 million since 2013, and will drop by a further £183 million
by 2020. This has exacerbated a difficult situation where
councils cannot afford to withdraw services for children in
immediate need of protection to invest in early help instead.
“Councils are doing everything they can to respond to the
significant underfunding in children’s social care, including
protecting budgets, reducing costs where they can and finding new
ways of working. However, they are at the point where there are
very few savings left to find without having a real and lasting
impact upon crucial services that many children and families
across the country desperately rely on.
“Councils are facing a £2 billion funding gap for children’s
services in just three years’ time. It’s more important than ever
that the Government commits to the life chances of children and
young people by acting urgently to address the growing funding
gap.”
