Protecting vulnerable children and young people

5.30.00pm GMT Fri 13th Feb 2009

Liberal Democrats have rejected proposed cuts in services to vulnerable children. With the tragic case of Baby P still very much in our minds, we refused to accept the Conservative proposal to cut funds to Early Years support for children at risk. Social workers are overloaded with bureaucracy, made worse by a new government-imposed data system, so we proposed additional administrative support to improve this. We proposed £250 to cover this work.

We were providing a grant to Home Start which has been nationally recognized as providing invaluable support to families, using trained volunteers, helping with basic things like shopping, budgeting and coping with a new baby which can be overwhelming for some new parents.

Oxfordshire's Youth service is very poorly funded compared with similar authorities. Liberal Democrats have consistently called for more funding for youth workers and this year was no exception. We proposed £100,000, which would fund extra outreach sessions across the county every week, each with two workers. Outreach work is recognized as the best way to help many disaffected and disadvantaged young people who need support to achieve self-confidence and develop social skills as well as gain qualifications leading to employment.

The Conservatives' original budget proposed to discontinue excellent projects which help young people at risk of offending to gain qualifications and self-esteem, as well as a project aimed at reducing road accidents among young drivers. We identified funds to maintain this work as well as for a much-need additional Health and Safety officer to work with schools.

Youth Centres are in need of renovation or just basic provision where none exists; we proposed capital funds should be shared more equally across the county. We also supported locally-provided facilities and have put money aside for a new centre for Grove and Wantage.

Cllr Jean Fooks says "While we recognize that the county's finances are under great pressure, we believe that supporting vulnerable children and young people must take precedence over yet more officers in the corporate core, such as a new Head of Marketing at a salary of up to £85,000 pa. Our budget sets a much better balance between conflicting demands than the Conservatives."

Cllr. David Turner says "We have also put more money into our budget for apprenticeships, realizing the importance of young people developing skills so that they are ready for the workplace, especially in these difficult times."