Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support the Government provides to local authorities for the purposes of investing in early intervention services.

In 2021/22, local authority gross expenditure on children's and young people's services was £11.9 billion. For 2023/24, the Local Government Finance Settlement has made available up to £59.7 billion for all local government services in England, including spending on early intervention. This is an increase in Core Spending Power of 9.4% in cash terms on 2022/23. How local authorities choose to target that funding across services is down to the discretion of local leaders.

In terms of ongoing funding, the department needs to ensure children’s services are sustainable in the long term. That is key to proposals in the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy, where we are focusing on early, preventative help which can reduce the need for crisis intervention later.

In the lead up to the next Spending Review, the Government will work to ensure the right level of funding for all Children’s Services, including early intervention.