In his address at the charity’s annual conference, Neil Leitch said that while the government was to be credited with placing a significant emphasis on children and families, the removal of grants for the voluntary and community sectors is putting pressure on early years providers.
He said the idea that the private sector can fill the gaps left by the removal of public funding is unrealistic.
“Year on year, we have heard successive governments up the ante in terms of the early years agenda, and at the same time, in reverse gear, they have eroded support to the alliance,” Leitch said.
“In the last voluntary and community sector round [of funding], we were told that after March 2013 ‘that’s it, you need to be self-sufficient’. And we were told that the funding would be replaced by private investment and a redirection of monies to local authorities.
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