Fears for Children’s Fund future

Children’s Fund partnerships were bracing themselves for
confirmation from children’s minister Margaret Hodge this
week of funding allocations for 2005/6, writes Shirley
Kumar.

The Department for Education and Skills announced in February this
year anticipated cuts of 30 per cent for next year.

However the government managed to avoid threatened cuts of 15 per
cent in 2004/05, and charities were hoping the same would happen
this year.

Barnardo UK director of operations Chris Hanvey warned that, if the
expected cuts materialised, they would “erode trust between
the voluntary sector and the government, damage the smooth
transition of the Children’s Fund into Children’s Trust
and undermine planning for smaller organisations”.