Council budgets buckling under soaring costs for children’s social care, warn charities
Children’s charities have warned that funding for early intervention has plummeted over time despite recent spending increases on children’s services.
Analysis commissioned by charities including Action for Children and Barnardo’s and conducted by Pro Bono economics found that while English councils’ spending on children’s services rose by eight percent in 2021/22 compared to the previous year, spending on early intervention services have fallen by 46% since 2010.
The research found that 81 percent of the recent spending rise was funnelled into crisis intervention services, a rise from the 67% seen a decade ago.
The charities warned that children are receiving help after issues escalate, rather than preventing them. With the rising expenses in late-stage interventions, primarily in the realm of children’s social care, the crucial early steps that could avert crises are being sidelined.
Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: ‘The time is now for an urgent shift in children’s services. We’re firefighting a growing crisis in children’s social care that’s not only costlier but often misses delivering the best for children and their families.
‘This isn’t just about funding; it’s also about timely, effective care. Our children deserve proactive support, not just emergency responses when situations worsen.’
Anna Feuchtwang, head of the National Children’s Bureau, said: ‘There has been a long-term shift in the way we help vulnerable children and families, increasingly only offering support in emergency situations. We must greatly expand help that prevents families from reaching crisis point in the first place. This will not only prevent harm to children but protect local authority budgets from the soaring costs of taking a child into care. The financial and moral case is overwhelming. The government must make children’s social care a priority and the voices of children, families and communities who rely on early intervention services must be at the heart of future reforms.’
The core of this issue stems from central government funding cuts. Local authorities, under financial duress, are dialling back on early preventative services, which are instrumental in halting crises before they amplify. There has been a 79% increase in children entering residential care since 2010/11.
Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: ‘These worrying figures show children’s services are at breaking point across England. The financial strain on local authorities caused by crisis support for families at ever increasing levels is unsustainable, but there is still time to rectify and rebalance the system.
‘To improve the outcomes for families and combat these spiralling costs, we need immediate investment in a preventative, joined-up system which prioritises family help and supports children before problems escalate.
‘This will take political leadership and cross-party support on a wholesale reform of children’s social care delivered as a matter of urgency.’
Image: Alexander Grey