The in-depth analysis looked at how 25 local authorities are coping with the "severe contraction in grant income" that followed the emergency budget and subsequent comprehensive spending review in 2010.
Researchers found that children’s services were seriously affected across the board, with deprived local authorities subjected to the biggest cuts and comparatively "mild" reductions to spending power in more affluent areas.
In 19 out of the 25 authorities, the study found that reductions to grants led directly to cuts in frontline children and young people’s service provision, although six councils managed to target spending reductions to back-office functions.
Children and young people’s services were also harshly affected by job losses. "One authority reported 150 posts deleted and another 100 as a consequence of the emergency budget," the report said. "Others reported smaller numbers. In one affluent authority there were between 35 and 40 redundancies as a result of cuts to specialist children’s services."
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