Recommendation 55

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.