Spending on early intervention faces 71 per cent cut
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Government funding for early help services is expected to be cut by 71 per cent, between 2010 and 2020, a study has found.
Research by three major children’s charities, Action for Children, the National Children’s Bureau and The Children’s Society found that councils expect funding to drop from more than £3.2bn in 2010 to less than £1bn by 2020.
The Losing in the Long Run report reveals that between 2010/11 and 2015/16 spending by local authorities on early intervention services for children, young people and families has fallen by 31 per cent in real terms. Between 2016/17 and 2019/20 the central government early intervention allocation will be reduced by a further 29 per cent in real terms, giving a combined reduction of 71 per cent over the 10-year period.
A survey conducted for the report found that, of more than 500 local councillors questioned, 59 per cent said there will be a reduction in early intervention services in their local communities over the next four years.
Nearly six in 10 (59 per cent) said that new revenue-raising powers for councils, due to come into effect from 2020, will not be adequate to maintain current levels of spending on early intervention services.
The charities said early support, which can include children’s centres, teenage pregnancy support, short breaks for disabled children, information and advice for young people and family support, often stops problems spiralling out of control.
The report questions the sustainability of further government cuts and examines the amount of money central government is giving to local authorities in England for early intervention services.
Kate Mulley, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said: “Governments have hacked away at the budget for early help, and we are set to see further reductions, which is simply short-sighted.
“Intervening when a crisis occurs, instead of working at an early stage to prevent it from happening, has a devastating cost both in social and financial terms.
“The government has committed to improving children’s life chances, in particular, giving the most disadvantaged children the start they need.
“This report raises questions about how this objective will be achieved and whether local authorities will have the capacity to invest in services for children, young people and parents.
“We are calling on government to prioritise the services children need to help build a better future.”
Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau said: “There is widespread support for stepping in to help children and families at an early stage – this approach improves children’s lives and saves money in the long term.
“Unfortunately, in practice early intervention services simply have the rug pulled from under their feet – with government providing only a fraction of the funding it has in previous years.
“Before making further cuts we urge the government to consider the long-term decline in how we support these services and in turn the severe consequences it has for the children and families that rely on them.”
Peter Grigg, external affairs director at The Children’s Society, said that although both the current and previous governments have claimed to be committed to the concept of early intervention, the report's findings make clear that the rhetoric is not matched by investment in services.
"In presiding over a cut this huge the government is risking the future of early intervention as we know it," he said.
"This will have real long-term consequences for children’s health, education and futures. Early intervention and help for children of all ages improves their lives, stops damage, and prevents more costly remedial solutions as they get older."
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “All children, whatever their background, deserve the best possible start in life – that’s why we are increasing funding for early years and childcare to over £6bn by the end of the parliament, backed up with £100m to improve the way councils deliver services for families.
“Councils are ultimately responsible for deciding what services are needed in their area and we are giving them almost £200bn to spend on local services by 2020 to support this.”
