Five leading children’s charities in England have reported a more than doubling of children in residential care over the past 12 years. The increase of children in care has in part occurred due to broader trends such as rising child poverty, say the coalition of organisations. Additionally, the ongoing issue is that local services designed to assist children before issues increase are experiencing spending cuts. The group of charities who compiled the report are Action for Children, Barnardo’s, The Children’s Society, National Children’s Bureau, and the NSPCC.
The charities are asking the government to invest more in early intervention services for children and young people. These kinds of services, such as children’s centres or family hubs, are delivered by local councils and aimed at parents and children who may be facing difficulties or in need of community support. The research discovered that since 2010/11, there has been a nearly 50% decline in the amount councils in England have directed towards early intervention services- from £4bn to £2.2bn in 2022/23.
The group says that the reduction in resources probably played a part in the increase of children in care as services that help individuals with low-level needs “have become increasingly difficult to find.” At the same time, during the same period, the amount of money spent on “late intervention” services for children and young people, which includes residential care, child protection and youth justice, has reached a record high, jumping from £6.3bn to £9.9bn. The amount spent on placements in children’s homes and other care rose by almost double to £2.4bn during this period.
The report claims this increase in expenditure “is not leading to improved outcomes for the children and families the system support.” The number of children in residential care increased from 8,000 in 2011 to 16,000 in 2023. The Competition and Markets Authority is cited as saying current funding for children’s social care is “dysfunctional,” with “unexpectedly high profits” but a lack of suitable placements, according to the report.
In response, Lynn Perry, CEO of Barnardo’s, stated: “We are stuck in a vicious cycle, with less and less support for children and families, just as rising poverty and poor mental health mean they are needed more than ever before. The only answer must be additional investment in services that help to prevent these crises in the first place.” Meanwhile, Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, says councils “stand ready” to address the challenges, but need “long-term, adequate funding” to do so
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