END CHILD POVERTY JOINS CALL FOR GOVERNMENT TO PUT CHILDREN AT THE HEART OF THE BUDGET

Share this:

More than 120 national organisations accuse Government of ‘ignoring children’

An influential group of over 120 children’s charities, teaching unions and other organisations have accused the Government of ignoring children and young people in its spending commitments.

In an open letter to Downing Street, the organisations have demanded that the Government recognise compelling evidence that the services and support that children and young people rely on are at breaking point.

The call comes from one of the broadest coalitions to assemble around such a cause, with representatives working across child health, education, social care, disability and poverty all signing the letter.

As the Chancellor prepares his 2018 budget, and with a spending review looming, signatories have insisted that urgent action must be taken to put children at the heart of Government spending plans.

The letter, sent to both the Prime Minister and Chancellor, highlights the pressing challenges facing services and other support for children, showing that:

  • Ninety children are being taken into care every day – this is a record high[i];
  • Less than a third of children and young people with a diagnosable mental health problem will get access to NHS funded treatment this year[ii];
  • Only three in a hundred families of disabled children think the health and care services available to their children are adequate[iii];
  • Almost three-quarters of school leaders expect they will be unable to balance their budgets in the next financial year[iv];
  • The number of children with special educational needs who are awaiting provision has more than doubled since 2010[v];
  • Up to 3 million children are at risk of going hungry during school holidays[vi].

Theresa May has promised to bring forward the ‘end of austerity’ and increase investment in public services, however the letter points to a growing body of evidence showing that significant challenges lie ahead.

The coalition of organisations is asking parents, families and other members of the public to show their support by signing a public petition to the Government and using the hashtag #ChildrenAtTheHeart on social media.

Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive of the National Children’s Bureau and Chair of End Child Poverty, said:

‘We’ve seen successive budgets come and go with token spending commitments for children and families. If austerity is really coming to an end, its high time the Government puts its money where its mouth is, and makes a concrete financial commitment to the welfare of children.

‘Things we once took for granted, like family support, children’s centres, and respite care for families with disabled children are now the privilege of the few. In some areas of the country, over half the children are growing up in poverty. For these children and the many others who need urgent help, the services, benefits and support that could provide a lifeline have been cut to the bone. We are failing our children if we don’t put them at the heart of government spending.’

 Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

‘School funding is at breaking point with many head teachers having to drastically cut back on courses offered, resources, building repairs, school trips and after school clubs. Class sizes are being increased and the numbers of teachers and support staff are being reduced while begging letters for money to parents and carers are commonplace. Enough is enough – our schools need more funding if we are to give all our children, including those with SEND, the education they deserve.’ 

Dr Carol Homden CBE, CEO of Coram, said:

‘Working with more than one million children, young people, families and professionals, we have seen first-hand how severely cuts to services and support have affected them.

‘Children are waiting longer to be adopted, others have been denied access to free legal advice and representation – going homeless or being excluded from education, and too many parents are frozen out of work and trapped in poverty because of high childcare costs. 

All children should have the chance and the resources they need to live a fulfilling life and to succeed, and we urge the Chancellor to put children at the heart of decisions about spending and increase the investment in children and families.’

 Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive of The Childhood Trust, said:

‘Before Universal Credit is fully rolled out children are already going hungry in increasing numbers and hard-working families are breaking down because of static, poverty inducing wages and ever rising prices. The government urgently needs to show moral courage by adequately funding Universal Credit and stopping the cruel punishment it’s inflicting on many of the poorest and most vulnerable in society.’ 

Kathy Evans, Chief Executive of Children England, said:

‘We can’t stand by and watch children pay the bill for the recklessness and debts of bankers and politicians. Austerity is not over for children, it’s getting worse – and Theresa May must stop it.’

 Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

Big social security cuts are pulling more and more of our children under the official poverty line so nine children in every class of thirty are living under the official poverty line  now – and most have at least one parent in work. Children’s health and wellbeing, their educational outcomes, their life chances and what they will earn as adults are likely to be jeopardised by growing up in poverty.  If we want a fair start for every child, we need to reinstate the funding that has been cut from financial support for children.   Restoring the value of child benefit, ending the freeze on working age benefits  and reinstating the huge sums that were taken out of Universal Credit are essential first steps.’

 A copy of the letter is available at: www.ncb.org.uk/childrenattheheart

ENDS

Notes to editors

For interviews, quotes and case studies, please contact the relevant organisations:

Children’s rights, policy and practice Action for Children Huw Beale / Huw.Beale@actionforchildren.org.uk / 07718 114 038
Childhood Bereavement Network Richard Newson / media@ncb.org.uk / 07721 097 033.
Children England Chloe Darlington / chloe.darlington@childrenengland.org.uk / 0203 597 6296
Coram Family and Childcare Trust Megan Jarvie / press@familyandchildcaretrust.org / 020 7239 7536 or 07538 334 772
National Children’s Bureau Richard Newson / media@ncb.org.uk / 07721 097 033.
The Children’s Society Faith Dawes / media@childrenssociety.org.uk / 0207 841 4422
YMCA Philippa Lewis / Phillippa.Lewis@ymca.org.uk
SEN and Disability Disabled Children’s Partnership / MENCAP Stephen Kingdom / media@mencap.org.uk / 020 7696 5414
Family Fund Jim Paterson / Jim.Paterson@FamilyFund.org.uk / 01904 571094

 

Special Education Consortium Richard Newson / medIa@ncb.org.uk / 07721 097 033
Education Anti-Bullying Alliance Richard Newson / media@ncb.org.uk / 07721 097 033
NAHT Steven George / pressoffice@naht.org.uk / 01444 472886.
NEU – National Education Union Caroline Cowie / caroline.cowie@neu.org.uk / 0207 380 4706 / 07879 480 061
Sex Education Forum Richard Newson / media@ncb.org.uk / 07721 097 033
Health Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition Shizana.arshad@cypmhc.org.uk / 020 7717 1558
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health press.office@rcpch.ac.uk / 0207 092 6067
Poverty Childhood Trust Laurence Guinness / laurence.guinness@childhoodtrust.org.uk / 07507 880 109
Child Poverty Action Group Jane Ahrends / JAhrends@cpag.org.uk / 020 7812 5216
End Child Poverty Judith Cavanagh / judith@endchildpoverty.org.uk / 07918 567577
Unions – other Prospect media@prospect.org.uk / 020 7902 6707)

 

For general inquiries, or a copy of the embargoed letter, contact the National Children’s Bureau media office: media@ncb.org.uk / media@ncb.org.uk 07721 097 033. For urgent enquiries out of office-hours call: 07721 097 033.

About the letter

The open letter to the Chancellor and Prime Minister is pasted below.

It is supported by over 120 organisations.

The letter is signed by 16 organisations, including: the National Children’s Bureau, The Children’s Society, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, End Child Poverty, Action for Children, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Disabled Children’s Partnership, NAHT, Coram, the Special Educational Consortium, the Childhood Trust, the Council for Disabled Children, Children England, the Child Poverty Action Group, YMCA and the Childhood Bereavement Network.

A further 112+ organisations have shown their support by adding their logos to the letter.

The full list of organisations supporting the letter includes:

 

4in10.org.uk
Achievement for all
Action for Children
Adfam
Adoption Matters
Association of Educational Psychologist
Afasic
Ambitious about Autism
Anna Freud
Anti-Bullying Alliance
Approachable Parenting
Article 39
Association of Clinical Psychologists UK
Association of Mental Health Providers
BACD
BACP
BASW
British Dyslexia Association
Become
BHTA
Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society
Buttle
CAPE
Careif
Carers Trust
Centre for Mental Health
Challengers
Champs Academy
Changing Our Lives
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
Children’s Links
Child Poverty Action Group
Childhood Bereavement Network
Childhood Trust
Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
Children England
Children North East
Coram
Coram BAAF
Coram Family and Childcare
Council for Disabled Children
Disabled Children’s Partnership
Driver Youth Trust
Early Education
End Child Poverty
Escape Intervention
Family Action
Family and Childcare Trust
Family Fund
Greater Manchester Poverty Action
Healthy Teen Minds
Ican
Interact
Interchange Sheffield
Jack Petchey Foundation
Jigsaw4u
Just for Kids Law
Kids
Kidscape
Mental Health First Aid England
Mental Health Foundation
Mind
Mindfulness Foundation
Minds Ahead
NAHT
nasen
NASS
National Children’s Bureau
Natspec
NDNA
NDTI
Nepacs
NEU – National Education Union
NNPCF
Nurture UK
NYAS
Partnership for Children
Place2Be
Point
Prospect
Rainbow Trust
Resources for Autism
RJ Working
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
Ryedale Special Families
Safe to net
Savana
School Cuts Campaign
Scottish Out of School Care Network
Seashell Trust
Sebastian’s Action Trust
SEBDA
Sense
Serenity
SMA UK
Special Educational Consortium
Special Needs Jungle
Stay Safe Workshops
Sussex Against Bullying
Terapia Centre
The Children’s Society
The Fostering Network
The Matthew Elvidge Trust
The Mix
The Mulberry Bush
The Standing Committee for Youth Justice
The Traveller Movement
Think2Speak
Thomas Pocklington Trust
Together for Short Lives
Together Trust
Unison
Volunteering Matters
Willen Hospice
YMCA
Young Epilepsy
Young Minds
Youth Access

 

 

Embargoed content of letter

A copy of the letter will be available at: www.ncb.org.uk/childrenattheheart or contact media@ncb.org.uk / 07721 097 033. The content of the letter is as follows:

To the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer

We are writing to you because there is compelling evidence that the services and support that children and young people rely on are at breaking point. We believe this is because children and young people are being ignored in the Government’s spending plans.

 

  • Ninety children are being taken into care every day – this is a record high[vii];

 

  • Less than a third of children and young people with a diagnosable mental health problem will get access to NHS funded treatment this year[viii];

 

  • Only three in a hundred families of disabled children think the health and care services available to their children are adequate[ix];

 

  • Almost three-quarters of school leaders expect they will be unable to balance their budgets in the next financial year[x];

 

  • The number of children with special educational needs who are awaiting provision has more than doubled since 2010[xi];

 

  • Up to 3 million children are at risk of going hungry during school holidays[xii].

 

We have come together at this crucial time to urge you to put children and young people at the heart of government spending.

 

END OF NOTES TO EDITORS.

[i] In England and Wales 32,810 children started to be looked after in 2016-17

Department for Education, 2017, Children looked after in England (including adoption), year ending 31 March 2017:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664995/SFR50_2017-Children_looked_after_in_England.pdf

[ii] Government estimate for 2018/19 from Implementing The Five Year Forward View For Mental Health, 2016, NHS England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/fyfv-mh.pdf

[iii]Disabled Children’s Partnership survey of 2,600 parents, 2017

[iv] National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), 2018 , Breaking Point 2017/18, A snapshot of the continuing crisis in school and academy funding:

file://ncb-fs-01/User_Data/dhutchinson/Downloads/NAHT%20Breaking%20Point%20survey%202017-18%20(1).pdf

[v] Between 2010 and 2018 the number of children with statements or Education Health and Care Plans awaiting provision has risen from 701 to 2,060 children:

Department for Education, 2018, Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England, 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018

[vi] Estimate from The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger, 2017, Hungry Holidays – A report on hunger amongst children during school holidays:

https://www.feedingbritain.org/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=f1305288-754c-4a73-80c9-094331cdd4e1

[vii] In England and Wales 32,810 children started to be looked after in 2016-17

Department for Education, 2017, Children looked after in England (including adoption), year ending 31 March 2017

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664995/SFR50_2017-Children_looked_after_in_England.pdf

[viii] Government estimate for 2018/19 from Implementing The Five Year Forward View For Mental Health, 2016, NHS England https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/fyfv-mh.pdf

[ix]Disabled Children’s Partnership survey of 2,600 parents, 2017

[x] National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), 2018 , Breaking Point 2017/18, A snapshot of the continuing crisis in school and academy funding

https://www.naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion/news/funding-news/breaking-point-a-report-of-the-school-funding-crisis-in-2016-17/

[xi] Between 2010 and 2018 the number of children with a statements or Education Health and Care Plans awaiting provision has risen from 701 to 2,060 children

Department for Education, 2018, Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England, 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018

[xii] Estimate from The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger, 2017, Hungry Holidays – A report on hunger amongst children during school holidays,

https://www.feedingbritain.org/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=f1305288-754c-4a73-80c9-094331cdd4e1

Share this: