A coalition of children’s charities is calling on the Government to use recent investment to rebalance children’s services towards early support.
It follows new analysis showing the scale of financial pressures facing councils in England responding to families in crisis.
The report, by economic thinktank PBE, commissioned by The Children’s Services Funding Alliance, shows councils spent a record £14.7 billion on children’s services in 2024/25.
It found spending on early help services has fallen by 40 per cent since 2011, while the average annual cost of supporting a child in care now exceeds £100,000 – a rise of 30 per cent in five years.
An LGA spokesperson said: “Supporting children and young people, and helping them to lead happy and fulfilling lives, is one of the most important jobs councils do.
“However, as this report shows, councils face significant rising and ongoing cost pressures to provide this lifeline of support, driven by increases in demand and increasing complexity of need.
“As well as calling on government to ensure councils have long-term, sustainable funding, we continue to push for a cross-government strategy for children so every child has the opportunity to thrive.”