Three key issues of the 2010s to fix in the 2020s
Derren Hayes
Thursday, January 2, 2020
The new government will need to solve quickly a number of longstanding issues affecting vulnerable children and families if it is to offer a more optimistic outlook for a children’s sector worn down by a decade of austerity.
Here are the three children’s services issues at the top of the government’s in tray:
- Stem the rise in – and then reverse – the number of children in care. Latest figures show the number of children in care rose four per cent in the past year and 21 per cent since 2010 (Analysis p8). Councils’ recent efforts to work intensively with families before problems hit crisis point are paying dividends with a decline in the rate of children coming into care. However, more funding is needed to help looked-after children leave care so they can to reunited with parents and families. The amount spent on high-cost care packages is severely constraining local authorities’ ability to invest in more early help services and innovation.
- Provide a ringfenced fund for council early help services as part of a fair five-year funding settlement. Government funding for council early intervention fell by two-thirds in the 2010s, resulting in mass closures of support services for disadvantaged families and youth centres for vulnerable young people. There is little doubt that the hollowing out of early help has contributed to rising numbers of children in care and youth violence. If we are to get on top of these issues, councils must be given the tools to invest in the long-term solutions needed.
- Invest more in schools. Analysis by the National Education Union shows 83 per cent of schools will be worse off in 2020 than they were in 2015. A first-class education system needs investment, but it’s not all about money. Ministers must also get tough on schools that off-roll and misuse exclusions, which are a pathway into gangs and exploitation. In addition, facilities and resources for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must be improved – there’s little point in diagnosing more children earlier with SEND if the support they need cannot be provided.
Instead of the “sticking plaster approach” to policymaking and funding that typified much of the past decade, the new government needs to recognise the problems facing vulnerable children and families and develop serious policies to tackle them now. Investing in early help, reducing numbers in care and sorting out schools will go a long way to ensuring the 2020s are a brighter decade for children and families.
