Councils 'will struggle' to support vulnerable children due to cuts, CCN warns
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Local authorities could “struggle to cope” with a surge in requests for support for vulnerable children and families due to a lack of funding following the Covid-19 pandemic, the County Councils Network (CCN) has warned.
New CCN analysis reveals that core government funding for children’s services has been reduced by 35 per cent - a total of £354m – since 2015/16 despite costs rising by £600m.
The 36 authorities in the CCN have estimated the cost of dealing with the pandemic will add a further £122m to their children’s social care budgets this year.
The CCN report states that a “perfect storm” of reduced budgets, rising demand and fewer preventative services to support young people could have a long-term impact on their ability to support vulnerable children and troubled families.
Councils told the CCN that they are concerned about a number of “hidden” children who need support – including those subject to abuse and neglect – currently going unchecked because of the lockdown. This could lead to a spike in referrals to children’s services departments now restrictions are beginning to ease, local authorities said.
Issues such as financial hardship, lost schooling, loss of support networks, increased domestic abuse, dealing with deaths from the disease, and families relocating are all problems that could emerge due to coronavirus which may increase the number of families needing support who were not using council services before the pandemic, the report states.
As a result of the funding reductions councils have had to scale back many of the services these families will need such as Sure Start, youth centres and learning support, it adds, noting that the new analysis shows spending on preventative and early intervention services by county councils has dropped by £172m since 2015/16.
It is calling on the government to cover all additional costs faced by councils in their children’s services departments as a result of the pandemic, safeguard existing funding for troubled families and set out long-term sustainable funding for children’s services in this year’s planned spending review.
The network is also calling on the government to bring forward the £165m from its flagship Troubled Families Programme to support families now to help councils prepare for the inevitable demand as the lockdown eases.
Currently, the programme pays some money retrospectively to councils for meeting key performance outcomes such as school attendance or supporting adults into employment.
Covid-19 means that many targets are now impossible to meet and councils fear they will not be able to access this vital source of funding to help the most vulnerable, the CCN says.
Officers told the network that if the money is not accessible this may force services that are maintained in part by the payments, such as some children’s centres, to close.
Councils say this could lead to a vicious cycle of more children coming into the care system in the future – especially with coronavirus putting councils under further extreme financial pressure, the report adds.
Keith Glazier, CCN spokesman for children and young people, said: “Young people will not stop being neglected or abused during coronavirus so we sadly expect a rise in cases once lockdown ends, especially with the emotional and economic impact of the virus on families. It is vital that we put in place robust plans to support all of the vulnerable children and families who will have seen a dramatic change in their circumstances during this unprecedented period.
“However, with reductions in funding, rising demand and preventative services being reduced, children’s services face a perfect storm as we emerge from lockdown.
“Preventative and early intervention services will help families back to their feet, so the government must help councils now to ensure that money for troubled families is available now to scale up family support services, rather than have these funds trapped at central level due to the pause on bureaucratic form-filling, alongside additional funding for coronavirus-related costs.
“This crisis hastens for the spending review to set out a long-term sustainable funding settlement for children’s services and work with councils to reform services so they are focused on prevention, rather than crisis management.”
