Leading family charities find 80 per cent increase in demand against background of cuts

29 September 2011

A survey conducted by three leading family support charities, Home-Start, Family Lives and Relate has found an 80% increase in demand for services, while funding is being cut.

Other findings from the recently commissioned Localism survey will be discussed at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference on the 4th October 2011.

As part of the Family Room coalition, Home-Start, Relate and Family Lives are hosting the roundtable event for local councillors, titled: ‘Who's working locally to deliver the Big Society?'

It will bring together representatives of charities operating locally to deliver services, and councillors, to talk about the opportunities and challenges of working more closely together, in line with the government's localism agenda.

The survey also showed:

• Almost three quarters of respondents have had their funding cut. averaging out at 20%....
• The average cut is 20%, however some respondents have seen their funding cut by as much as 100%.
• When asked about how local services are delivered, two thirds of respondents felt that ‘Localism' was not having an impact….
• ..and more than half felt that they had not had an opportunity to influence commissioning strategies locally.
• However when asked about securing funding, 44% of respondents felt that localism was having an impact.

Answers on securing funding ranged from a negative:

"Whilst the county sorts out systems and processes against funding cuts, the immediate impact has been major funding cuts and imminent decommissioning of services. The local focus is on higher levels of family need whilst Sure Start centres (because funding was protected) are envisaged as picking up the preventative work. Much of the family support network of voluntary organisations will not meet funding criteria. Many Local councillors are not fully aware of the limited capacity Sure Start centres have to meet the demand already met by the voluntary sector. Families are in danger of being further disadvantaged through unmet need."

to a positive:

"Instead of the county council holding the purse strings it is now allowing localities (basically based on district councils) to assess and commission in order to meet the needs within their communities. Each locality has at least one community development officer and they are helping to develop potential partnerships."

Councillor Nickie Aitken, chair of the Family Room fringe event and children and young people's cabinet member at Westminster City Council said, "This survey shows us that the move towards localism is not uniform across the country, and that organisations that deliver voluntary family support are having very different experiences. I'm looking forward to a very lively debate on 4th October."

Family Room fringe event, Tuesday 4th October, 5.30pm-7pm, Midland Hotel, Manchester.

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