Following analysis by the Local Government Association showing that children’s social care placements costing £10,000 and more have risen sharply in the past five years, the Children's Charities Coalition has issued a joint statement.
"The children’s social care system is in desperate need of reform. Too many children who spend time in care aren’t given the loving home they deserve. And the costs of providing that care are rising and are putting local authorities under increasing financial pressure.
“At the same time, the continued lack of early investment in family support is leading to ever more children and young people requiring crisis support in care, often struggling to meet children’s complex needs and with children regularly moved away from their community and the local area they know.
“These findings should be a wake-up call to the Government, highlighting the urgent need to reform the way homes for children in care are provided and to break the vicious cycle of failing to spend on family support and spending later on creating huge costs for children’s futures and the Treasury. We need significant investment in services that help families before they reach breaking point. This would not only allow more children to continue living with their birth families safely but provide financial savings in the longer term for the taxpayer.”
Action for Children, Barnardo’s, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC, The Children’s Society
Read about the Local Government Association's analysis here.