Trends in Children's and Young People's Services Expenditure in England
Charlotte Goddard
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Researchers from the University of Sheffield and the University of Huddersfield set out to analyse spending on children's services by 150 local authorities between 2010 and 2015, looking in particular at how spending varied between poor and affluent areas.
Authors Calum Webb and Paul Bywaters
Published by Local Government Studies, February 2018
SUMMARY
For their paper titled Austerity, Rationing And Inequity: Trends in Children's and Young People's Services Expenditure in England Between 2010 And 2015, they analysed figures from the Section 251 returns, which councils are obliged to provide to the Department for Education. They grouped spending into three categories: looked-after children expenditure; safeguarding expenditure; and residual expenditure on wider children's services such as children's centres and family support. All figures were adjusted to 2015/16 prices for comparison purposes. Indices of Multiple Deprivation scores for 2015 were used to classify local authorities as affluent or deprived. The study excluded the City of London and the Isles of Scilly.
The researchers found spending on children's services had declined in all local authorities over the study period with the greatest drops in spending seen among the most deprived local authorities. In 2010/11, average total expenditure per child was 1.75 times higher in the most deprived third of local authorities than in the least deprived third whereas it was only around 1.57 times higher in 2014/15. Across the board total expenditure fell by an average of £16.40 per child per year. However, the average decrease in expenditure for the most deprived local authorities was £32.60 per child per year compared with £8.60 per child per year in the most affluent areas.
Spend on looked-after children, when measured per looked-after child, actually increased across all local authorities over the five-year period, with an average increase of £1,172 per looked-after child per year. Meanwhile, there was little change in spending on safeguarding, which went down slightly then rose again over the period. The most deprived local authorities spent more on safeguarding but less on looked-after children than the most affluent authorities.
The main cuts came in spend on other children's services, with an average fall in median spend of 38.3 per cent between 2010/11 and 2014/15. These cuts were far more pronounced in the most deprived local authorities, which saw a decrease in median spend of 45.66 per cent on children's services that did not include looked-after children or safeguarding.
This kind of expenditure, on prevention, early intervention and family support services, made up on average 45.9 per cent of all spending in 2010/11 but only 33.5 per cent in 2014/15, a substantial shift in resource allocation priorities.
In 2010/11, the median spend on children's services - not including safeguarding and services for looked-after children - was £436 per child. That figure was £576 per child in the most deprived areas and £311 per child in the most affluent. In 2014/15 the median spend on such services was £269 per child - £313 in the most deprived areas and £223 in the most affluent.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
In making cuts to children's services funding, it seems local authorities are concerned about protecting frontline services such as safeguarding and therefore "less essential" services bear the brunt. However, these cuts can have substantial knock-on effects, straining the ability of frontline staff and managers to cope with levels of demand. While past research has found an increased emphasis on early help and early intervention is the best response to financial pressures, in practice it is resources for early help and intervention that see the greatest cuts.
The researchers say their findings run counter to assertions by the National Audit Office of an 11 per cent increase in children's social work spend between 2012/2013 and 2014/2015, and claims made by the Department for Education that local authorities have responded to pressures on services by prioritising prevention.
FURTHER READING
Exploring Demand and Provision in English Child Protection Services, Rick Hood and others, British Journal of Social Work, June 2016. Study examining variations and patterns in the response in local authorities to demand for child welfare services.
Hitting the Poorest Places Hardest: The Local and Regional Impact of Welfare Reform, Christina Beatty and Stephen Fothergill, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University, April 2013. Report looking at the impact of welfare reforms on different parts of the UK.
We Are All in This Together? The Hidden Costs of Poverty, Recession and Austerity Policies on Britain's Poorest Children, Tess Ridge, Children & Society, August 2013. Exploration of how policy change and welfare reforms may impinge on the lives of children from low-income families.