Double-funding boost for cash-strapped children’s services

Rochdale’s cash-strapped children’s services have been given a timely dose of ‘Christmas cheer’ by a much-needed double-funding boost.

Council officials have opted to plough all £1.8m of its social care support grant for 2019/20 – which can also be spent on adults – into under-pressure children’s services.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/124828/£18m-boost-for-cashstrapped-childrens-services

And the government has also allocated an extra £540k for children with special educational needs and disabilities for this year and 2019/20.

The funding will provide specialist support and tailored facilities in a bid to help youngsters with complex needs.

Children’s social care in the borough is currently forecasting a £4.8m overspend and the new cash brings some welcome relief, bosses have said.

Councillor Kieran Heakin, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “I’m pleased to hear that we have had these allocations, it’s exactly what has been needed - it’s a bit of Christmas cheer for us all in children services that we have had that announcement.

“There’s still a long way to go to meet the deficit as yet, but at least it’s something.

“It’s double good news for Christmas. We’ve had two allocations of money, and at the end of the day it’s children’s services, it’s one pot, it all helps.”

The decision to use the entire £1.8m social care grant was signed off by the borough’s Integrated Commissioning Board (ICB) – which is made up of councillors and health officials.

It was made on the basis that the adult social care budget has been given ‘significant support’ in recent years – from both the dedicated council tax precept and the recently allocated £1.1m winter pressures fund.

Committee member Joanne Newton asked whether there were any further conditions attached to the grant as ‘ basically what you are doing is propping up an overspend?’

But Victoria Bradshaw, the council’s chief finance officer, said the grant was a recogntion of the pressures on social care.

She said: “It’s not just an overspend on a budget, there are reasons around demand issues, and therefore we are looking at a strategy of how we are going to mitigate those.

“It’s a national issue; it’s not just local to Rochdale.”

Gail Hopper, director of children’s services, said the strain had been particularly pronouced over the current financial year.

She said: “We didn’t overspend this year or the year before. We’ve had quite a significant shift this year; we’ve had an increase of 16% of children in care we didn’t have last year.

“There isn’t a pressure in children’s services outside of children’s social care.”

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter