Offences against Children
(asked on 26th September 2014) - View Source
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what total amount her Department spent on all measures aimed at tackling child abuse and neglect in each of the last five financial years.
Most statutory spending on child abuse and neglect is included within local authority core funding for children’s social care which comes from the Department for Community and Local Government’s Formula Grant, and from local taxation. Whilst this funding is not ring-fenced, it is for local authorities to decide how to apply their funding across all the services they deliver. The Department for Education would expect all local authorities to prioritise services for their most vulnerable children and young people.
A report from the Audit Commission published in November 2013 found that children’s social care has been largely protected from spending reductions from 2010/11 to 2013/14.[1] Council spending on children’s social care on average increased by 1.2 % in real terms over this period and aggregate spending on children’s social care was set to increase by a further 0.4 % from 2012/13 to 2013/14.
In addition, over the period 2010/11 to 2014/15, this Department has spent between £30 and £50 million per year on safeguarding, which includes programmes whose focus is to prevent and tackle abuse and neglect. This spending has fulfilled specific work by local authorities and by voluntary and community sector organisations.