Children’s Fund cuts confirmed

Children’s Fund money will be cut by around £50
million over the next two years, it has been announced.

A letter sent to programme managers by Children’s Fund
director Kathy Bundred said that the budget will drop from
£300 million over the next two years to £250 million.

“Over-allocation” of funds, which this year amounted
to £16 million, is believed to be behind the cuts. Other
financial commitments for initiatives such as Information, Referral
and Tracking systems have also taken away cash from programmes.

At a meeting with charities including NSPCC, Barnardo’s and NCH
last week, proposals to axe wave three programmes, which have yet
to make contractual commitments to service providers, were
rejected.

This means that across-the-board cuts may need to be made and
programme managers are now being forced to make choices about which
of their projects to save.

Uncertainty over the future of programmes has angered many
managers, who want an explanation as to how the over-allocation by
the now defunct Children and Young People’s Unit was allowed
to happen.

Source of story:
www.zero2nineteen.co.uk