Budget 2024: Children’s Commissioner’s reaction

1 Nov 2024 10:59 AM

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered the Budget in which she announced plans to rebuild public services. 

Among the announcements was that schools in England will receive a £1 billion increase for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The news comes just days after the National Audit Office warned the SEND system was financially ‘unsustainable’. It was also confirmed that the core education budget is going up by £2.3 billion and there was a further £300 million announced for further education.  

It’s clear when speaking to children all over the country that they are hopeful for change. They want improvements to the support available in school, faster access to quality healthcare to limit the time spent waiting for support, and priority given to local services that improve their family lives.  

The Chancellor’s decision to protect total education funding is welcome, as is her recognition of the need for a renewed focus on SEND provision, but these commitments must go hand in hand with a bold plan for reforming the SEND and healthcare systems that’s focused on children’s needs, not just their diagnosis. 

It is also encouraging to see the commitment made to supporting kinship and foster care – something highlighted during Kinship Care Week – so that more children have a safe and loving home.  

The announcements in this week’s budget are important steps, but now is the time for action to deliver this promised change.  

Earlier this year in The Big Ambition, the Children’s Commissioner set out her vision for a government that works for children as well as adults, under pinned by a series of enabling actions. Included among these are:    

• A shared government vision for good outcomes for children, and for all services and departments to be held to account for achieving those goals;   
• Services that are easy for parents and children to navigate, with each child having a single ‘plan’ that parents can see and use which sets out the support they are entitled to; 
• The introduction of a unique childhood identifier so that vital information can be easily shared, and nobody falls through the gaps; and   
• A clear, long-term funding stream for children, based on the local level of need, and a workforce strategy to address the recruitment and retention challenges across all services working with children.     

Responses to The Big Ambition showed children are solutions-focused and have brilliant ideas.  

Now the government needs to listen to children’s views and act on their experiences, ensuring that education, health and social care services work together to make this a country of opportunity for every child.