WIREDGOV

Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, responded to the Youth Endowment Fund launching a new £6.5 million fund to help support vulnerable children at risk of youth violence during the coronavirus emergency 

“Councils have been leading the COVID-19 emergency response to support vulnerable people, so we are pleased this funding is being targeted towards vulnerable children at risk of youth violence and those at risk under the current social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines.

“Children’s social care referrals have fallen by more than half in some areas since stay at home guidance was issued, which is a serious concern.

“This fund will help support youth services so that essential cost-effective prevention and early intervention work can help make the necessary step-change to tackle serious violent crime, including county lines activity and knife crime.

“We urge the Government to reconvene the Serious Violence Taskforce to look at how all partners can tackle serious violence and county lines activity which may see a resurgence after lockdown measures are lifted.

“The Government needs to ensure local youth services, youth offending teams and councils’ public health budgets have enough long-term funding for services that protect our most vulnerable children, otherwise we may not be able to tackle serious violence in our communities.

Youth Endowment Fund commits £6.5m to reach “invisible children”