Funding streams for children's services are set to change when the Children's Bill is introduced, but the specifics are open to speculation. Councils are also under pressure to keep down spending as the Government has advised them to minimise council tax rises.
Social services funding is currently determined by the Formula Spending Share, where government statisticians look at population data and predict how much councils are likely to spend.
Specific grants (also called ring-fenced grants) are given out for education and social services. Last year, approximately one-sixth of the money for these services was ring-fenced, more than for services in other areas.
These grants tend to be for high-profile issues. They are often large and controversial and come with strings attached. Dick Sorabji, a policy officer for the Local Government Information Unit, says they may be the Government's way of showing it is responding when something ghastly happens.
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