Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 55
55
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 133
A record 80,850 children are in care.
Conclusion
A record 80,850 children are in care. Early intervention is key to tackling the needs of vulnerable families and children before they escalate. The record rise of children in care cannot be disconnected from the 48% reduction in early intervention spending over the last decade. Short-changing early intervention is a false economy and represents poor value for taxpayers, who end up funding less effective and costlier interventions downstream. Most importantly, it means children are suffering harms that could and should have been addressed earlier in their lives. Investing money early in the lives of vulnerable children offers better value for the taxpayer, better outcomes for the child, and would overall reduce the number of children needing to enter care in the first place.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the rising number of children in care and the reduction in early intervention spending. They reiterate existing investments in local services and vulnerable families but maintain that councils are best placed to decide how to spend their funding.
Paragraph Reference:
133
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
133. Government has invested billions into local services. Local authority spending on children’s services in 2020–21 was around £11bn, funded through local authorities’ core settlement (which is around £51bn per year,). 134. In April 2022, we announced a £1 billion package to support vulnerable families, including funding for Family Hubs, the department’s flagship Supporting Families programme, and investment in the Holiday, Activity, and Food programme. Local authorities also have access to a one-off Services Grant which is worth over £800 million that can be used for all services, including children’s social care. Further, for 2022–23, we have invested £1.5 million in the Early Intervention Foundation to promote evidence- based approaches which improve services for vulnerable children. 135. Whilst we agree that spend on children’s services should be rebalanced towards preventative early help services, we believe that councils are best placed to decide how to spend their available funding–local councils understand the needs of their communities best, and it is important they have the freedom and flexibility to manage their funding. 136. We are now carefully assessing the recommendations of the care review with all relevant government departments, including HM Treasury and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. As we agree the broad shape of the reform programme, we will also need to consider any cost implications. This includes consideration of the review’s recommendation to introduce a new funding formula for children’s and young people’s services.