Vox Pop: Should councils be incentivised to cut child inequality?

Claire Dent, negotiations officer, Aspect
 
High-quality early years support has a dramatic and lasting effect on children’s lives. It is therefore heartening that the government has recognised this by incentivising local authorities to focus on reducing inequalities in child development and improve health and wellbeing in children.

Payment-by-results may encourage local authorities to focus on improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged in society.  However, caution must be exercised when analysing these figures.

It is notoriously difficult to measure the impact targeted support has on the most hard-to-reach families. It is not just about how many families access the services Sure Start centres offer, but whether they are being taken up by the most vulnerable families.

YES

Anne Longfield, chief executive, 4Children

Reducing inequalities is one of the most important roles of local authorities. That is why it is right that the children’s centre payment-by-results scheme focuses on reaching the most vulnerable families in order to reduce the gap in outcomes.

Maximising the potential of children’s centres will be essential if local authorities are to successfully change the focus of their services from crisis to prevention.

The case for local authorities prioritising the reduction of child inequality is undeniable on both social and economic grounds. It is right that any new system from government should reflect and encourage that.

NO

Megan Pacey, chief executive, Early Education

Poverty, and the subsequent disadvantage and inequality that might stem from it, is complex. Child inequality cannot be addressed without well functioning wider services – some of which will be the responsibility of councils, but also include other services such as those provided by local primary care trusts as well the plethora of voluntary sector providers.

While the measures outlined focus on some of the most crucial areas of development for children, there will be many factors that contribute to an overall reduction in child inequality. It’s not right to increase or withdraw funding to only one part of the picture when it is likely to be many who have contributed to the outcomes that we all hope will have made a positive and lasting impact to children’s wellbeing. 

YES

Helen Dent, chief executive, Family Action
 
Cutting child inequality is key to reducing poverty and isolation for the highly disadvantaged children and parents we work with.

Local authorities will not meet payment-by-results targets unless there is a role for intensive family support with the most disadvan­taged. We know how vital it is to engage with these hard-to-reach families in their homes and support them into universal services like nursery education. This improves outcomes for children and parents.

Areas with families with high inequality should get adequate funding to meet local need. Data sharing is key to making outreach work and tracking outcomes. It is vital that the government gets these incentives right if we are to make a difference for vulnerable parents and children.