LGA responds to Children's Commissioner's vulnerability report

4 Jul 2019 01:31 PM

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, responded to a report from the Children’s Commissioner warning there is an estimated 2.3 million children in England growing up in vulnerable family backgrounds 

“Councils want to see all children, no matter their background, achieving their potential and being given the best opportunities to give them the best start in life.

“The Children’s Commissioner is absolutely right that investment in our most vulnerable children is vital.

“Early intervention services such as children’s centres and family support services play a crucial role in supporting children and helping to prevent problems becoming more serious later on.

“However as the LGA and the sector have long warned, children’s services are at a tipping point as a result of increasingly high levels of demand for support and cuts in central government funding. Without more investment, councils will find it increasingly difficult to give children and families the support they need to thrive.

“This is why it is essential that Government uses the forthcoming Spending Review to address the £3.1 billion shortfall in children’s services by 2025.”

#CouncilsCan: Spending Review 2019

With the right funding and powers, councils can continue to lead local areas, improve residents’ lives, reduce demand for public services and save money for the taxpayer. Securing the financial sustainability of local services must be the top priority for the Spending Review.

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