Councils 'spent £136m on children's social care at the height of lockdown'
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Councils in England had to spend an additional £136m on children’s social care at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, campaigners have said.
A coalition of charities, including Action for Children, NSPCC and Barnardo’s, say local authorities spent the extra money on children’s social care between March and July.
They say the health crisis has led to a “perfect storm of increased economic and housing insecurity and stress at home” coupled with “reduced oversight from professionals and other adults” as well as “increased time online leaving some young people vulnerable”.
Extra investment is needed to ensure the children’s social care system in England is sustainable and can focus on early help for families most at risk of reaching crisis point, say the charities, which also include the Children’s Society and National Children’s Bureau.
The charities involved have submitted their call for extra funding to the Treasury ahead of the spending review which will cover just one year, it was announced today (21 October).
They add that already in 2018/19 councils were operating with £2.2bn less funding for children than in 2010/11. In addition, councils have suffered further income losses amid the Covid-19 lockdown due to a reduction in income from business rates and council tax.
The call comes as further areas across England are placed in the most severe lockdown restrictions by the government. Those in Tier 3 restrictions include Liverpool, Lancashire, Manchester and from this weekend South Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire will move into Tier 3, the ‘very high’ alert level for coronavirus restrictions.
— Sheffield City Region (@SheffCityRegion) October 21, 2020
Statement from @SCR_Mayor Dan Jarvis ⬇️https://t.co/Y3fB0kGymk
“A decade of under investment by central government meant local authorities across the country cut back on preventive and early intervention services while spending more on increasingly expensive care placements,” said NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless.
“The crisis will dramatically worsen this unsustainable situation as the risks to children increase while the financial impact undermines local authority’s ability to respond, especially in more deprived areas that have already experienced greatest losses in funding.
Children from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities are at “greatest risk” of entering the care system amid the pandemic, said Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan.
“Even before the pandemic, too many vulnerable children were missing out on vital support. Covid-19 and the recession are driving many more families to breaking point, with mental health needs rising, growing numbers of children in poverty, and the prospect of even more children entering the care system,” he said.
Meanwhile, Children’s Society chief executive Mark Russell said: “The Prime Minister needs to put children at the heart of recovery, it is time for urgent investment in children’s services and to make sure the futures of young people from our most deprived communities are the top priority.”
Earlier this month the Local Government Association called on the government to provide councils with an extra £1.7bn a year to improve early support for children and families.