Charity focus: how do we improve services in the children’s sector?

A small team from Kreston Reeves and Brachers were privileged to sit down with a few key charity leaders working in the children’s sector. The aim was to consider the challenges that are faced and maybe start the rocky road to finding a solution – we can all dream!

Let’s start by setting the scene.

There is hardly a day goes by when there is not a article on TV about the lack of support or care for children. This is exacerbated by local government cuts in funding. However, the charities that in the past picked up the slack are now being asked to do more, whilst facing their own funding crisis. Staffing issues facing many industries in the country are also impacting charities. Children in crisis has increased following the pandemic but also as a result of the society we now live in.

Resources available to help signpost families

One of the first problems identified in our discussions was access to support and this is often something mentioned in TV articles. Where do you go when there is a problem. Those around the table did collaborate but they were not aware of all the resources available to help signpost families. The local authority has a portal but although some found this useful it was felt it was not fit for purposes and those looking for support were not always aware it existed. It was felt that there was a lack of knowledge within statutory professionals and people rely on word of mouth. It was suggested that a new portal independent of local government could be set up to help accessing support and provide collaborate advice. But this would require funding to set up and most importantly keep up to date.

What was clearly apparent from our discussions is the amount of collaboration and informal working currently happening in the sector and the willingness to expand this.

Fundraising by the sector was mentioned as a problematic area. It is difficult to source fundraisers per se let alone being able to finance their employment. Securing staff continues to be a challenge. The short-term nature of funding means that jobs are not secure. Staff have their own bills to pay, and they need to earn an appropriate salary.  The uncertainty of contracts not continuing and staff having to ensure they can fund their own commitments can result in staff taking up more stable employment. This impacts on the care for the child and the charity costs in recruiting and training new staff. Continuity is important for children. There are not enough people with the correct expertise that are able to provide a service pro bono despite what society and the government think or expect.

Longer term contracts required for the charity sector

This moves the conversation onto government contracts. These tend to be three years plus, a possible two extra years (the latter will not be known until almost the end of the initial term) Why are private sector contracts for up to 10 years? Many children services are not just for three years but they need continuity of care and support. Contracts should be between five and 10 years, enabling relationships to be developed and appropriate services to be delivered.

The local authorities have their own staffing issues which means charities and parents don’t know who they are dealing with and then it is difficult to build a relationship. It was felt commissioners need to change their approach when dealing with the sector. It was queried whether the people preparing the specification actually had knowledge of the service they are procuring.

Problems often arise when referrals are out of area be that with funding or service delivery. Delays can lead to care not being provided when needed and children losing out. It is often difficult to meet requests from out of area as individual charities may have geographical restrictions even if they have the specialist knowledge.

Introducing social care at early years to help prevent future issues

Another question was, has society let down those in need. There is a generation of people who don’t know how to parent as they were not parented themselves. Children require, structure, discipline and boundaries, without these they become insecure and nervous. They no longer know what is expected of them. Children centres have largely gone and with them training for parents. Introducing social care at early years to help prevent future issues is a lot cheaper than dealing with later problems. The numbers and complexity of children with difficulties is increasing, hence the government has the dilemma of dealing with the current situation that has developed or helping the next generation coming through.

There is a concern that with local authorities only providing statutory service some early services may disappear. With the election looming this year, social care and education will become political footballs. They need to be ‘a political’ with all parties coming together to build a long-term strategy. Society also needs to take responsibility; it is not government money that is being spent it is our money that we pay through taxes. If we want more we may need to pay more through tax, donations or in-kind support. The sector wants to work together providing appropriate support and collaboration, but they can’t do it on their own.

Conclusions

What did we conclude form our discussions? Unfortunately, there is not an immediate solution but the current government policy of tinkering and bury their head in the sand is not working.  We need a longer-term strategy based on an understanding of the problem and not about votes. To deliver appropriate service the sector needs longer term contracts. We need more understanding of what services are available and parents need to know where to go to find out more information. We need to refocus on retraining parenthood and supporting early years to reduce future problems. We need to recognise children are individuals and the society “norm” is not suitable for everyone. Not everyone needs to get GCSE in Maths and English. Finally, Society needs to take responsibility for the sort of country they want to live in.

This guest post was authored by Susan Robinson, Accounts and Audit Partner and Head of Charities and Not for Profit at Kreston Reeves.

This content is correct at time of publication