Cuts to children’s services budgets for family support and youth work represent a “false economy”, simply leading to greater pressure on safeguarding provision, Ofsted has warned. The inspectorate’s annual report noted that while the overall effectiveness of children’s services provision is continuing to improve, the impact of ongoing financial restrictions risks jeopardising progress. Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said that local authority social care budgets have experienced the most significant reductions across the public sector, although statutory safeguarding and child protection services have, to date, largely been locally protected. However, she said that reductions in funding in other areas, such as preventative and wider children’s services, mean that councils are less able to intervene early, before young people need statutory services. “The evidence suggests that these cuts to youth and other services are a false economy, simply leading to greater pressures elsewhere,” she said. Read more.
You may also like
Inside a domestic violence call centre
A major charity working with victims of domestic abuse says calls to their 24-hour helpline increased by more than 50 per cent in the year of the pandemic. The lockdown means some women have felt trapped at home with violent and abusive partners...
February 26, 2021
Covid has created legions of unpaid carers who urgently need support themselves
Last year, the health and social care select committee highlighted the social care system as “unfair, confusing, demeaning and frightening for the most vulnerable people in our society and their families”. But while the select committee’s report...
February 19, 2021
‘He’s beaten her black and blue for years’: a month in the life of a women’s refuge manager
Over the past year, reports of domestic violence have risen enormously – while refuge places are scarce. One woman explains what it is like trying to help those who have fled for their lives. Read the full article on this link to The Guardian ...
February 17, 2021