If you read my last post you would have seen some scary statistics. But there’s nothing new or very
original about them. They are commonly accepted.
Today the Guardian reports that the Local Government Association (LGA) has found that unremitting rises in
demand for children’s services, including safeguarding and child protection, are rapidly outstripping resources as local authorities wrestle with swingeing budget cuts.
Cllr Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s
Children and Young People Board, is quoted as saying: “Services caring for and
protecting vulnerable children are now, in many areas, being pushed to breaking
point … the demand for children’s social care services has more than doubled
and is stretching local authority resources.”
So, there isn’t much dispute about the
facts. It would be nice if there was consensus about a solution. That consensus
should be: services for vulnerable children and young people have to be
adequately funded. Full-stop. Period. End of story.
Perhaps all the politicians currently jostling
for votes in the general election campaign would like to commit to that.
Simples.
