• 4Children is calling for a £10bn per year children’s funding programme (bringing together and building on existing funds - £3bn of which already comes from parents)

• 4Children is calling for 10,000 children’s centres based in or around schools

• 4Children is calling for government to open up its schools – from 8am – 6pm to provide childcare to enable parents to work and to provide the support services that nearly every family will need at some stage.

• 4Children is calling for a new Children’s Profession bringing together all those who work with children.

To achieve this, Government would need to increase its current investment in childcare by £3.5 billion per year – almost double what it currently spends on childcare and community support for children and families. New spending would also match what parents already pay – a huge £3bn per year.

Why does the country need to invest now?
Evidence shows that children and young people are subjected to more pressures than ever before - from achieving at school, staying healthy as well as, for many, facing the associated problems of divorce, exposure to drugs and living with domestic violence. Statistics paint a picture of a challenging world for young people - one in three children go home to an empty house every day, one in five under fifteen year old have been a victim of crime and 4 million children live in poverty. At the same time an unprecedented number (65%) of mothers now work and are looking for affordable childcare. Many more would like to work but cannot do so because they can’t find the childcare they need.

These trends are here to stay and require a radical new approach – backed up by investment. As a nation we spend a mere 0.2% of GDP on early years and childcare compared with Denmark’s spending of nearly 2% of GDP. As a result, parents in the UK are left to fill the gap – bearing 85% of childcare costs, while in Sweden parents pay just 15%. Consistent evidence shows that investment in children is highly effective – reducing long term costs of crime, worklessness and health.

Doubling current UK investment in children and families would bring UK spend up to just 0.7% of GDP or £7bn a year on children and families. In context this figure compares with £49bn on education and £61bn on the NHS at current spending levels.

Anne Longfield, Chief Executive 4Children, said: ’We are at a watershed in this country as life for children and families changes beyond recognition. We need to take the bold step to respond to this – offering the kind of support that is commonplace in many European countries. Investment from Government now will pay dividends in future years as savings are secured on benefits, crime and under employment. Developing a national infrastructure of centres in or around schools has the potential to transform our communities – putting children and families first – offering the support that they need.’

For further information please contact the Media team at 4Children on 020 7512 2112
media@4Children.org.uk

For more information, please download the agenda below.

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