Social spending in North 'short changes children'
Children in the North are being short changed on personal social service spending, it has been revealed.
Expenditure is well behind the UK, especially Scotland, according to a report to be launched at Stormont today by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Patricia Lewsley.
Ms Lewsley said she was extremely worried by the research.
She said: “It is clear that we need to look at why children are losing out in personal social services at a time when we hear that the services in mental health and speech and language therapy are not meeting children’s needs.”
Ms Lewsley added: “It clearly shows that too little is spent on personal social services, education spending is not having sufficient impact, and key areas such as housing and benefits need closer examination.”
The Commission has recommended:
:: Increased spending on social services provision for children and young people.
:: An audit of existing spending within new trusts.
:: Development of clear mechanisms to assess spending on children’s health care.
:: Further research into socio-economic inequalities in educational attainment.
:: The implementation of a policy of small school class sizes and the evaluation of how the education system serves young people.
The Commissioner said she wanted the Northern Ireland Executive to examine the report, the first of its kind, when deciding on future budget allocations.
She added: “This report proves that spending on children must remain a high priority for the Executive.”
