'Cut now, pay later' is not the answer

While research from the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) lays bare the growing strain on child protection, many of the services that can avert families from reaching crisis point, and the huge expense this incurs, are under grave threat.

On the prevention front, this week we reveal that up to half of Buckinghamshire's youth services team could be made redundant. It is the latest in a lengthening list of local authorities to target cuts in youth services. On early intervention programmes, which tackle problems as they begin to emerge, concerns were voiced last week in these pages about the future of some family-nurse partnerships, despite the latest evaluations showing positive results. The partnerships involve nurses visiting vulnerable first-time parents in their homes from early pregnancy to when their child is two years old.