Central government funding to youth offending teams (YOTs) has halved over the last eight years from £145m in 2010/11 to £72m in 2017/18.
The LGA said it is concerned that councils have still not received their youth justice grant allocation for 2018/19, despite having to set their budgets within the next two weeks, making it difficult for them to plan how they will support young people and prevent reoffending.
The LGA said that cuts to the government's youth justice grant since 2010 has resulted in councils having to make up more of the funding for YOTs from their own budgets.
However, faced with significant rises in demand for urgent child protection work and an estimated £2bn funding gap for children's services by 2020, councils are being forced to divert the limited funding they have left away from preventative work, including YOTs and youth work, into services to protect children who are at immediate risk of harm.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
