Response to the Autumn Statement 2016

In response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, Dave Hill, President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, said:

“Given the publication of the government’s ‘Putting Children First’ policy paper this year it’s disappointing that children haven’t been put first in the Autumn Statement.

“The impact of six years of austerity measures on the vital services we provide to children, young people and families cannot be underestimated. This, coupled with soaring levels of demand for children’s services has meant that reductions in early help and preventative services have been necessary in order to balance the books and in some places there is a real risk that core services for children and young people will not be adequately funded. To date, local authorities have responded creatively by reshaping services to do more for less but this is unsustainable and is placing local systems and economies under huge pressure. Analysis by the LGA estimates that by 2020 children’s services face a £1.9bn funding shortfall, if we fail to address these issues today we will be failing generations of children tomorrow.”

ENDS

---

---