The NSPCC, Action for Children, Barnardo’s, National Children’s Bureau and The Children’s Society have published the latest in a series of reports on children’s services spending in England. Key findings from the latest report show:

• a record high £14.7 billion was spent on children’s services in 2024/25, 82% of which is on late intervention
• early intervention spending is more than 40% lower than it was 15 years ago
• 82,000 children are now in care, up 25% since 2011, despite the population of children only increasing by 7% in that time
• the average cost of supporting a child in care is now more than £100,000 a year
• the gap in local authority spending per looked-after child has grown by 35%, highlighting a growing postcode lottery
• spending on services for young people has fallen by around 73% since 2010/11, from £1.5 billion to £0.4 billion.