We need to invest more, not less, in our children
There is a lot of focus on trying to solve problems with public services – overcrowded prisons, an NHS and social care system on its knees, secondary schools that are struggling to keep children in school.
Trying to solve these problems is multifaceted. It can be easy to look at quick fixes – get a few headline grabbing quick wins, but long term, do these work?
We have seen so many child services budgets falling consistently short and key services are either woefully underfunded or cut altogether. Free school meals, school budgets in general, special educational needs support, autism assessments, children and adolescent mental health services are just not keeping pace with the rising costs.
We need turn this decline around
If there is one place that money would be well invested, it is our children. Helping children get the best starts in life will start a positive revival.
We need to understand the needs of our children – whether it is physical, emotional, situational – maybe they have mental health issues; maybe they are child carers or have experienced trauma; maybe they don’t get enough food each day and their health and development is suffering; maybe school isn’t right for them. If we could better understand the needs of our kids, could we solve problems early on and reduce the pressure on a wide range of public services?
A child who is struggling may lash out or falter at school. Without the investment in them, in understanding their needs, they may be excluded. It is then harder to find another school or maybe they go to another school and the same thing happens. Then it happens again. Their self-esteem is eroded. They start to believe that they are stupid, that they are bad and that’s a very slippery slope.
We need to be creating more opportunities
If we had the time and money to find out what was going on for the child and offer the support, compassion and understanding they need, we give them the chance to take a different path. They would be given the opportunity to thrive, to go on to reach their full potential.
They could go on to have a positive impact on their family now and in the future, on their local community. There would be fewer exclusions, fewer children unable to attend school, fewer children without qualifications and left feeling worthless and wherever that may end up. There may be more healthy children, with healthy eating habits that they can take with them into adult life and pass on to their own family. Investing in our children early on breaks the spiral of decline and opens up a much brighter future for them and those around them.