Local Government Association calls for long-term funding in Spending Review and cross-government plan to support children and young people
The LGA has shared the latest figures on referrals to children’s social care in England. In the year ending May 31, 2024, 621,880 children were referred to such services – some 1,700 per day.
Photo by Vitolda Klein / Unsplash
Such referrals are made when there is serious concern about a given child. Referrals are usually made at the request of schools, health organisations or the police, but a range of bodies can refer children to local authority services.
The LGA – which represents councils across the country – also reports that 224,520 investigations were undertaken in the same year-long period to determine whether a child was suffering or at risk of significant harm. That is nearly quarter of a million cases of significant concern.
In more than half of the assessed cases, the child’s primary need was related to abuse or neglect, with issues related to domestic abuse and mental health often a significant factor.
In response to the figures, the LGA has called on the government to ensure that levels of funding in the Spending Review 2025-26, to be announced later this spring, are sufficient to enable councils to invest in much-needed provision such as family help, child protection, and in-care and care-leaver services.
The LGA acknowledges that children’s social care is one of the biggest cost pressures facing councils with an 11% increase in children’s social care budgets between 2023-24 and 2024-25 to £14.2bn. This is largely due to increasing demand for specialist support for children with complex needs and rising costs of placements for children in care, which is in turn due to increased use of residential placements.
Budgets are being slashed. Just this week, the government announced significant cuts to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). To save money, some children have been sent to live more than a hundred miles from their home and loved ones.
The LGA says that investment now actually could save councils money, as early intervention helps to prevent children reaching crisis point – which in turn requires more extensive and expensive support.
Beyond the Spending Review, the LGA is also concerned that many of the issues that lead to children needing support are within the remit of other government departments and public bodies. It calls for a cross-government plan to enable all partners to work together to provide the best for children.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, says: ‘Council support for children and young people is central to the delivery of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. With investment in children’s social care and partner agencies including mental health provision, we can focus on early intervention and preventing children from reaching crisis point, where the level and costs of support are significantly higher.
‘The Spending Review is an opportunity for long-term, sustainable funding for children’s social care and the services children and families rely on, that puts the sector on a stable footing and provides the support that enables every child to thrive.’
A spokesperson for the Children’s Charities Coalition (comprising Action for Children, Barnardo’s, The Children’s Society, National Children’s Bureau and the NSPCC) adds: ‘All children have the right to grow up in safe and happy homes. Yet through our services and networks we are hearing directly about a children’s social care system at breaking-point, desperate for investment in order to respond with the right support at the right time when children are at risk or in need.
‘Frontline workers carry out vital work supporting vulnerable children and families in progressively challenging circumstances. However, with chronic underfunding and councils trapped in a downward financial spiral unable to meet demand, we should not be waiting for children to be in harm’s way before they receive help and we should be giving families the support they deserve.
‘Our latest research shows that council spending on early intervention services has dropped by more than £2bn (42%) since 2010-11, whilst spending on children’s in residential care has risen to an all-time high. With around 1,700 children being referred to social care every day, and with increasingly complex needs, it’s never been more important that services can match this growing demand and reach families early on before they hit crisis point.’
Rachael Wardell, President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, says: ‘Every child and young person deserves the foundations of a safe, warm, and stable home, financial security, and good health, both physical and mental. But sadly, that’s just not the reality for too many children growing up in this country. Children and families continue to face significant and growing challenges, and we need a child-first approach to national policymaking.
‘As these shocking figures suggest, we need to shift both focus and funding toward early help and prevention for children and families, rather than just responding once they’re already in crisis. Funding for children’s social care services should reflect actual level of need – but while demand continues to rise, our budgets just aren’t keeping up. The government has a real opportunity here to create the conditions for success, but any reform needs to be backed by sufficient resources and capacity for local authorities to deliver, in the best interest of every child and their families.’
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