Coalition campaigns for improved children services

A number of unions, charities and children’s organisations have written to the Prime Minister and Chancellor calling for urgent action to prioritise children and families in the government's spending decisions.

The letter, signed by the National Children’s Bureau, the Children’s Society, the Children and
Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, argues that 90 children are being taken into care everyday and that up to three million children are at risk of going hungry during school holidays.

Furthermore, the coalition stresses that fewer than a third of children and young people with a diagnosable mental health problem will get access to NHS funded treatment this year.

Anntoinette Bramble, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said: “This is a compelling demonstration of the grave concerns shared across the sector as funding cuts increasingly leave services struggling to provide the care and support that thousands of children and families rely on.

“Councils have long-called for the government to recognise the urgency of the funding crisis facing children’s services, which are fast approaching a tipping point and face a funding gap of £3 billion by 2025 just to keep services running at current levels. The Autumn Budget presents the perfect opportunity for the Government to take action and give councils the funding they need to keep children safe from harm and enable them to live the happy and fulfilling lives they deserve.”