We welcome extra funding to support children and families in the 2025 Spending Review, but urge the Prime Minister to hold true to his commitment to lead a child-centred government.
Rachel Reeves’ choices will shape what it’s like to grow up in the UK over many years to come. Major investments in health and housing are very welcome and increases to school and social care budgets highlight the importance of children to this government.
The Prime Minister’s ambitions to raise the ‘healthiest generation ever’, to give children the Best Start in Life, and to tackle child poverty all demonstrate that children are at the heart of this government’s Plan for Change. This Spending Review marked the moment for the government to turn vision into reality for children in the UK.
Health
Increased investment in the NHS - £29bn per year - is undoubtedly a positive step forward. This level of funding has the potential to drive meaningful, long-term improvements for children and families across the country. Well funded health services are the foundation of a happy, healthy childhood, and we commend the government for taking action to strengthen our healthcare system for those who rely on it most.
Key to this is a commitment to reducing NHS appointment waiting times. Lord Darzi’s inquiry into the health system revealed that children often face waiting times of a similar, or even longer, length than adults. Yet, despite making up 25% of the population, children receive only 11% of the NHS budget. It is imperative that children see an equitable part of the spend if we are serious about taking a preventative approach to healthcare in this country.
On mental health, we welcome the funding committed to rolling out Mental Health Support Teams to every school by 2029. But more needs to be done to ensure funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) continues to rise at a rate to meet demand, as well allowing them to increase access to the most vulnerable children.
SEND and schools
We also welcome the government’s investment in schools, including the additional money dedicated to encouraging children to gain experience with music, drama and sports. However, without a clear picture of the future of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, it is vital that the government works closely with parents and carers, the voluntary and community sector and local government on their upcoming SEND Reform White Paper. We hope that if this White Paper calls for investment to reform the system, the government will make the right decision and listen to its recommendations.
Child poverty
Last week, the government proved its intent to tackle child poverty by announcing a major expansion of Free Schools Meals eligibility. We were pleased to see that funding for families that need it most will be continued through a new Crisis and Resilience Fund (which will replace the Household Support Fund), extending the £3 bus fare cap plus funding for housing and the Warm Homes Plan.
Child poverty is a moral scar on this country, so we are pleased that the Spending Review demonstrated important steps being taken by the government to improve childhoods and reduce poverty. We look forward to the Child Poverty Strategy being published later in the year to complete the picture on the government’s plan for tackling child poverty, including - critically - investment in the social security system.
Social care
We are pleased to see the government strengthening its commitment to supporting children and families by funding early intervention services, alongside the pledge for ‘better care and better outcomes’ for those in care. This is an encouraging shift of emphasis away from reactive and costly crisis management by the state.
The longer the wait for whole-system reform, the greater the strain on the public purse in future and, tragically, the more babies, children and young people will be sidelined by an under-resourced system.
Best Start in Life
The Prime Minister made early childhood his key milestone for breaking down the barriers to opportunity, so it is welcome to see the government’s continued commitment to the early education entitlement scheme, breakfast clubs and school-based nurseries. However, the current system of childcare and early education entitlements are not working for the most disadvantaged children and families, and we need a fundamental rethink of how spending is allocated.
The biggest question that remains is how much funding will be allocated to the continued delivery and expansion of Family Hubs as committed to in Treasury plans. Family Hubs provide vital infrastructure for integrated services that allow families to receive support across health, SEND, social care and education. So it is welcome news to hear that the government is committed to this vision for holistic child and family support services.
It is critical that the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care confirm the allocated funding for both Family Hubs and Start for Life so that local areas can begin planning and children and families can access this crucial support. This is imperative if the Prime Minister is going to meet his personal milestone to increase the number of five-year-olds reaching a Good Level of Development by 2028.
Conclusion
With a number of strategies and papers yet to be published and final budgets yet to be determined, there is still a degree of uncertainty about how the government’s plans will play out and ultimately what this means for children and families. We urge the Prime Minister to hold hard to his commitment to lead a child-centred government that is truly dedicated to breaking down the barriers to opportunity, tackling child poverty and raising the healthiest generation of children ever.