Over the last ten years investment in early intervention support by councils has been cut from £3.8bn to £1.9bn, according to the research that has been commissioned by a charity coalition that includes NSPCC, Barnardo’s and Action for Children.
This also reveals that the cuts have been deepest in the most deprived councils, who have slashed early help spending by 61 per cent.
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Mobile provision: Children’s services on the road
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Review of children’s social care system prioritises family help
The West Midlands and North East faced the biggest falls in spending on early support per child over the decade, the report states.
In contrast cuts in the least disadvantaged local authorities have been by 39 per cent, according to the coalition, which also includes the National Children’s Bureau and The Children’s Society.
Cuts have been made across early help services, including children’s centres, youth clubs and specialist help in tackling substance abuse.
The charities warn that cuts to early help are creating a “vicious cycle” of spending as families reach crisis point and councils are having to spend more on late intervention, such as placing children in care.
The research, carried out by think tank Pro Bono Economics, details how over the same period spending on crisis and late intervention has increased by a third across all councils, from £6bn in 2010/11 to £8.2bn in 2020/21.
“It’s a big concern that children in deprived areas, where needs may be greatest, are often among those least likely to get help before problems spiral out of control,” warned The Children’s Society chief executive Mark Russell.
“Young people have told us they felt they needed to get hurt or harm someone in order be taken seriously.”
New data from @ProBonoEcon for the Children's Services Funding Alliance shows that spending on early intervention services has fallen by 50% in the last 10 years. #StoppingTheSpiral 🧵https://t.co/dNfCcmPEYP pic.twitter.com/xPM8oCzojM
— National Children's Bureau (@ncbtweets) July 19, 2022
The coalition is calling on the Conservative Party candidates to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson later this summer to commit to fresh funding for children’s services.
“Town halls are being placed in an impossible position by decisions made in Whitehall,” said Action for Children policy and campaigns director Imran Hussain.
“The government has to give local authorities the resources they need to invest in preventative services to stem the tide of children coming to harm before they’re helped.”
Last month the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care’s final report called for a “radical” overhaul of children’s services to focus on family support rather than crisis intervention.
Review chair Josh MacAlister says Pro Bono Economics’ findings are “worrying”.
“It’s crucial that reform comes with the investment needed to boost support for families so that more children can grow up in loving families and that the care system can provide the same foundations,” he said.
“Tinkering at the edges while continuing to pour money into a crumbling system is unsustainable and it’s vital that the next Prime Minister seizes this opportunity to make a difference to the lives of children and families, now and in the future.”
Over the last ten years children’s social care spending has fallen by £249m, despite rising demand for support. Overall councils spent £36 less on each child between 2010 /11 and 2020/21, Pro Bono Economics research found.
“When children do receive the right care, good outcomes can follow,” added the think tank.
“Currently, the system which drives so many poor outcomes leaves too many in care with a lack of trusted adults to provide emotional support; it increasingly places children away from their home, and it creates instability through multiple changes in care placements.”
