What is really happening, though, is harder to interest people in. It is the steady and accelerating decline in children's services. I have to avoid sounding Jeremiah-like, but it really is the case that our frontline services for children are now unrecognisable from the services of 10 years ago - and the coming year heralds more to come.
All the local authorities I work with have introduced new budget reductions from this April - on top of the 40 per cent cuts they had previously made. All are seeking to strengthen their early help services, to try to reduce the increasing numbers of children with genuine need being referred for assessment. All are trying to keep a lid on the rise in children coming into care. All are restricting the amount that is spent on children in their care. All are seeing reductions in school nurses and health visitors.
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
