The growing hole in children's services budgets - projected to be £3bn by 2025 - has led to dire warnings from the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) of deep cuts to early help support over the coming year. In the lead up to next autumn's comprehensive spending review (CSR), charities and children's services leaders will be lobbying the Treasury to loosen the purse strings in light of the government's claim that austerity is at an end.
The Budget did deliver an additional £84m to expand innovative projects to reduce the number of children in care (see analysis). However, ADCS president Stuart Gallimore dismissed it as "woefully short of the sustainable and equitable long-term investment strategy we need".
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
