Government gives local authorities £13m for vulnerable children

By:

Dominic Brady

23 Aug 18

Local authorities will benefit from a £13m funding boost to help vulnerable children, the Home Office has said.

Eleven local authorities have been allocated funding from the ‘trusted relationship fund’ [see the full list below], which is intended to help councils intervene early in situations where children are at risk of abuse or falling into crime

The funding, announced yesterday, is expected to ease the number of children going into care further down the line.

Victoria Atkins , minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, said: “It is awful to think so many children have to tackle life without a strong adult figure they can confide in and that this may leave them vulnerable to predatory criminals and violence as well as exploitation and abuse.

“The government is absolutely determined to help, which is why the trusted relationships fund will support at-risk children through projects across the country.”

Simon Blackburn, chair of the Local Government Association’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “The exploitation of children by street gangs or anyone else has no place in society.

“We need to reduce incidents of children and young people going missing, being exploited and abused, and entering the criminal justice system.”

The money will go towards youth workers, support for children expelled from schools and children with special educational needs, as well as work with parents and carers to improve family relationships.

The LGA has warned that children’s services are still facing a £3bn funding gap by 2025, making it harder to fund long-term projects that help children and families when they need it most.

The councils allocated the money are: