Council 'not holding our breath' on funding for vulnerable children
The Government has announced its new £500m Better Futures Fund for vulnerable young people
Wiltshire Council has said it's not expecting to receive a huge amount of cash from a new £500m scheme supporting vulnerable children.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the Better Futures Fund on Monday, which the Government has called the largest of its kind in the world.
It will be used to help struggling and vulnerable children and their families with a variety of problems they face, which could include early support to tackle challenges such as school absence, mental health issues, addiction and falling into a life of crime.
Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Gavin Grant, said the authority will make every penny it does get count.
He said: "We're among a number of local authorities to seeing, waiting to see what we will get from that, that fund. But we're not holding our breath in terms of the scale that may head in the direction of Wiltshire.
"Every pound spent supporting vulnerable young people and their families is critically important. We want to give the best start for every child in Wiltshire. We're committed to doing that and this money will help."
Cllr Grant said Wiltshire's work with young people has been rated as "outstanding" and that the county was "ahead of the game" in setting up family hubs, which is where he expects much of the money to go.
The Council has family hubs across the county, including in Salisbury, Trowbridge and Chippenham.
"Any cash that's coming from government to help develop that work is obviously welcome," Cllr Grant said. "Do I think there should be more? Yes, I do. Will that enable us to help even more families and children that are facing hardship and difficulties. Yes, it would.
"The government needs to be thinking about this very carefully. If you don't support those families, what we know happens is there are more problems down the road and they cost more money."
He added that "it takes a village to raise a child", saying it's vital that the local authority works alongside charity's and community organisations.
"If we're all working together and getting around those families and show that we care about them, you deliver a better outcome for that child and who knows what the future of that child will be," he said.