Early help services at risk as report reveals extent of funding cuts

An investigation by the Children’s Society and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), in collaboration with Children & Young People Now magazine, reveals that Government funding for a range of early help services across welfare, social care and children’s services fell from £3.2 billion in 2010-11 to £1.4 billion in 2015-16. This is a fall of 55 per cent, or 1.8 billion.

The figures are based upon data published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), and local authority spending on early intervention services provided by the Department for Education (DfE).

The charities warn that failure to properly invest in help today will not only damage young lives but risk leading to far greater costs for taxpayers in the years ahead, with greater demand for criminal justice, health and social services.

In 2010, the then coalition Government amalgamated the separate ring-fenced early intervention funding allocations into one non-protected grant known as the Early Intervention Grant (EIG).

According to the report, ‘Cuts that cost: Trends in Funding for Early Intervention Services’, changes in local authority spending on children’s centres and young people’s services over the same period was also reduced, however spending on family support services remained more stable.

While there have been cuts in spending, they are not as severe as reductions to Government allocations, says the report. It suggests this could be because some local authorities are finding ways to protect these services and secure resources from elsewhere.

But the charities warn that reduced local authority spending on children’s centre and young people’s services look set to continue in 2015-16, as suggested by data from 36 local authorities obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

Responses from these local authorities revealed early indications that spending on children’s centres is set to fall by 17 per cent (£45 million) and 13 per cent respectively, between 2014-15 and 2015-16. This represents a fall of 46 per cent compared to 2010-11, a reduction of £189 million.

However, spending on family support is expected to increase by 11 per cent.

The report also raises concern that further cuts to non-protected budgets, including children’s services and public health, expected in Wednesday’s Budget are likely to make it even more difficult for local authorities to protect early intervention services.

When asked about the impact of cuts as part of the investigation, directors of children’s centres in local authorities expressed worries about the lack of resources or prioritisation of children’s services at national level. Some said this is a particular challenge in the context of increasing demand, particularly for child sexual exploitation and mental health services. Others highlighted concerns about the future viability of non-statutory and early help services.

However, respondents outlined various ways in which they are working to maintain early intervention services amid funding reductions. They include more effective partnership working, integration of services and information sharing, partnering with schools and using funding from the Troubled Families programme to deliver early help.

Although directors of children's centres said if there are further funding reductions this financial year, efforts to protect early intervention services may be difficult to sustain.

The charities conclude by making a number of recommendations, including:

• for the 2015 Summer Budget to include increased funding for early intervention services for children and young people;
• in the next Spending Round (Autumn 2015), the Government should show its commitment to preventing poor outcomes for children by introducing five-year protected support for early intervention services;
• and for local authorities to be supported by Government to set up an Early Improvement Board, aligned with the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), to identify and share creative approaches to maintaining and strengthening early intervention services.

Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau (NCB),which runs the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP), pictured above, a programme designed to improves the lives of 10,000 children in Lambeth and across England, said, 'There is a wide-ranging consensus amongst politicians in central and local Government that early intervention in children’s lives is a far wiser use of scarce resources than late intervention once problems have escalated.

'Yet our analysis shows that funding for a range of early help services has been substantially reduced. It is positive that councils have done their best to protect services but there is no getting away from the fact that they have also had to make significant cuts which will impact on the lives of vulnerable children.

'Before making more cuts that cost, Government needs to think again. It should work with councils to gain a better understanding of how services have been reconfigured and commit to fund early intervention provision that make a dramatic difference to children’s lives.'

A Government spokesperson said, 'Ensuring every child, regardless of their background, is given the opportunity to fulfil their potential is at the heart of this Government’s drive to provide real social justice. We have invested more than £2billion in early intervention services, including 15 hours of free childcare for the most disadvantaged two-year-olds and enough funding to retain a national network of children’s centres, which are helping a record number of parents.
 
'We have given councils the freedom to use their funds on those services most needed by their communities. The £448m Troubled Families programme has turned around the lives of 117,000 of the most complex families, working with up to 400,000 more families from this year, backed with a further £200m investment.
 
'Alongside this, the Pupil Premium, worth £2.5billion a year is helping to improve educational outcomes and life chances for some of the most disadvantaged children.  We are also spending a further £50million on the Early Years Pupil Premium to help ensure children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not fall behind at this crucial age.'