Directors warn of funding shortfall in Wales

A new report from directors warns that social services in Wales
face a £9 million shortfall.

The report by the Association of Directors of Social Services in
Wales says that social services budgets are over committed as
authorities across the country struggle to fund services for an
increasing number of looked after children and older people.

Children’s services are facing the greatest financial crisis,
accounting for 75 per cent of the total overspend predicted for
Wales.

The report says that a number of UK-wide programmes such as
Children First and Sure Start have been very effective in
identifying previously unmet need, and as a result the number of
children requiring some form of social care has risen by 6.7 per
cent between 1997-2000.