In It Together II: redefining value in children’s services
Children with complex needs can and do develop into successful, stable adults. However, in many cases looked after young people or those with SEN require the help of specialist services to enable them to make this transition.
We are writing this report when the public coffers are running dry.
At a time when local authorities are struggling to meet many competing demands, it is critical that we examine every part of our public services to ensure that they are delivering the best results in the most cost efficient way.
In it Together II: Redefining Value in Children’s Services takes a new look at the needs of some of Britain’s most vulnerable children, exploring how the independent sector can work with local authorities – from commissioning to transitions – to ensure that young people get the appropriate support, at the right time.
No matter how ‘efficient’ you make a public service in monetary terms, if it does not solve the problem it is intended to, or does not achieve the desired outcomes, it is a poor use of public money.
Investing wisely in services for vulnerable children can never be a false economy. This is because such an approach pays two dividends: firstly, through diversion from negative situations such as welfare dependency, substance abuse, homelessness and criminality and secondly, through positive engagement with society, for example through increased employment and therefore tax revenues. CSDG believe that if we get the system right, we really can do ‘more for less’ – critical when ever more children are entering the social care system.
Given these escalating numbers, it becomes clear just how costly it can be – both for society and individual young people – if the right decisions about care and specialist education are not made early on. High levels of demand also highlight the need for a long term, sustainable view of how we can achieve the best outcomes for young people.
In it Together II aims to extend the partnership theme to examine how we define value in children’s services, what can be considered ‘good value’ in achieving outcomes for children with complex needs and how service cost and quality are related.
We hope that you find this report to be a useful resource.
To read our report, please click here: In It Together II: redefining value in children’s services