Services for vulnerable children and young people 'at breaking point'

In an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May and Chancellor Philip Hammond, the National Children's Bureau (NCB), the National Education Union (NEU), Coram and the Child Poverty Action Group, among others, urge the Prime Minister and Chancellor to "put children and young people at the heart of government spending".
 
The letter highlights a series of statistics highlighting the demands on the system, including the government's figures on looked-after children in England in March 2017, that show 90 children are taken into care every day - a record high.
 
It quotes NHS figures that suggest less than a third of children and young people with a diagnosable mental health problem will get access to NHS-funded treatment this year.
 
And it points to problems within schools, citing government data that shows the number of children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) who are awaiting provision has more than doubled since 2010.
 
With Chancellor Phillip Hammond due to deliver the autumn budget on 29 October, NCB chief executive Anna Feuchtwang, who is also chair of the End Child Poverty coalition, said it is "high time the government puts its money where its mouth is and makes a concrete financial commitment to the welfare of children".
 
"Things we once took for granted, like family support, children's centres, and respite care for families with disabled children are now the privilege of the few," said Feuchtwang.
 
"In some areas of the country, over half the children are growing up in poverty. For these children and the many others who need urgent help, the services, benefits and support that could provide a lifeline have been cut to the bone.
 
"We are failing our children if we don't put them at the heart of government spending."

Pressure has been building on local government finances for a number of years, resulting in many cutting early help services in order to try to deal with increasing demand.

Analysis carried out by the Labour Party found spending on children's services fell from £7.9bn in 2012 to £7.6bn last year. Labour said the figure represented a real-terms cut of nearly £1bn if inflation is taken into account.

The Local Government Association has previously warned that children could be left in circumstances of risk unless the government acts to plug an estimated £2bn funding gap by 2020.