The Office of the Children’s Commissioner is publishing its third annual vulnerability report and analysis of data on spending on vulnerable children. In response, Donna Molloy, director of policy & practice at the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), says:

“This is a welcome report from the Children’s Commissioner, highlighting the challenges faced by local authorities across the country. Beyond the headlines, this report draws attention to how difficult it is to get accurate data on numbers of children and levels of spending.

“The report is also right to highlight the lack of an agreed framework of measurement for children’s outcomes. Even with this kind of analysis available, we have no idea what services most children are receiving and whether those services and interventions are improving outcomes. Spending is only one half of the value question: without data on outcomes and impact, we can’t say with any confidence whether our current resources are being used to best effect.

“The Children's Commissioner has previously indicated there are 1.6 million children in England who are living in families with substantial complex needs, without an established form of additional support. This means 1.6 million opportunities for effective early intervention to make a difference in these children's lives.”

*ENDS

Notes:

• The Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) is an independent charity that champions and supports the use of effective early intervention to improve the lives of children and young people at risk of experiencing negative outcomes. For more information, see: www.eif.org.uk
• The EIF report Realising the potential of early intervention outlines the key barriers to be overcome and changes to be made at national and local level, to ensure effective early intervention is available for the children and families who need it most. Available at: https://www.eif.org.uk/reports/realising-the-potential-of-early-intervention