Early intervention funding halved under coalition
Neil Puffett
Monday, July 6, 2015
Councils have cut spending on early intervention by a further eight per cent in 2015/16 on the back of funding being halved under the coalition government, CYP Now can reveal.
A joint investigation by CYP Now, the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and The Children’s Society found that cutback in spending follows a reduction in central government grant funding for early intervention work of 55 per cent under the coalition government.
Among 36 local authorities that provided comparable data in response to a Freedom of Information request by CYP Now (around one in four of all authorities in England), overall spending on early intervention services will fall from £652.5m in 2014/15 to £598.3m in 2015/16, a reduction of 8.31 per cent.
The worst hit early intervention area will be children’s centres – spending on which will drop from £265.3m in 2014/15 to £219.6m in 2015/16, a fall of 17.23 per cent.
Meanwhile, spending on young people’s services is in line for a 12.62 per cent spending reduction, from £140m in 2014/15 to £122.3m in 2015/16.
Spending on family support services rises slightly by 3.69 per cent, from £247.2m in 2014/15, to £256.3m in 2015/16.
The cuts follow massive cuts to the level of government grants to pay for early intervention.
The investigation found that over the duration of the coalition government, funding for early intervention services, not including money held back by government for free childcare, fell from £3.18bn to £1.44bn, a fall of 54.81 per cent.
Spending by local authorities on early intervention services has fallen at a less marked rate, indicating that councils are attempting to protect services.
Overall, councils' spend dropped from £3.05bn in 2010/11, to £2.34bn in 2014/15, a fall of 23.53 per cent.
Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of NCB, said that despite the “wide-ranging consensus amongst politicians in central and local government that early intervention in children’s lives is a far wiser use of scarce resources than late intervention”, funding for a range of early help services has been substantially reduced.
“It is positive that councils have done their best to protect services but there is no getting away from the fact that they have also had to make significant cuts which will impact on the lives of vulnerable children,” she said.
Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “Early intervention and help for children of all ages improves their lives, stops damage, and prevents more costly remedial solutions in the subsequent few years.
“That’s why we’re calling on government to prioritise funding for early intervention and help for teenagers and children to make sure councils can maintain these essential services as we enter another period of austerity.”
Carey Oppenheim, chief executive of the Early Intervention Foundation, said growing demand on child protection services, combined with reductions in funding is making it difficult for local areas to invest and preserve early intervention services.
“Some local areas have responded to these funding pressures with innovative and radical plans to redesign services around children and families combining support from local authorities, schools, health, police and communities themselves,” she said.
“It is clear that with further spending reductions to come in the next few years this will need to continue and gather pace.”
Read the full investigation in the new edition of CYP Now or click here.
CYP Now's Early Help: Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practice conference will be held on 30 September at the Inmarsat Conference Centre in London.