Lincolnshire Care service scrapped
Edge of Care provides overnight stays, practical help, advice and support for families in need
A service that supports families with children at risk of being taken into care is set to be scrapped, despite warnings the cost-cutting measure will have “real consequences”.
Edge of Care, a church-based volunteer service, provides overnight stays, practical help, advice and support for families in need.
It can step in during emergency situations, such as a single parent being taken into hospital.
Lincolnshire County Council says the same work is done by other schemes, and ending the contract in July will save £133,000 per year.
However, critics at the council’s Children and Culture committee meeting on Friday (April 24) described the move as politically-motivated and “indefensible”.
Conservative Councillor Lindsey Cawrey said: “It’s a cut to a very important service for some of the most vulnerable in our society – children.
“Why is this proposal even being considered? It runs counter to everything we stand for as a council.”
Labour’s Cllr Kev Clarke said: “This will have real consequences for families – it’s performing well, and is valued by families and professionals.”
Reform’s Cllr Natalie Oliver, the portfolio holder for children, responded: “It is not a cut, it’s a duplication which is being removed.
“The council is in a difficult financial situation with rising cost pressures, and we have to make difficult decisions.”
Council officers said that nearly all families helped by Edge of Care were also supported by other services, and emergency foster carers were still available as a last-resort.
However, councillors questioned whether other services had the capacity given a national shortage of foster carers.
There was strong support for the service during a recent consultation, with 92 per cent of respondents saying it was very effective.
The council report, which recommends the contract’s end, said: “Families are better supported through increased targeted, multi-disciplinary help which ensures their support needs are identified and responded to as soon as concerns emerge.
“Furthermore, as the needs of families have become more complex, the percentage of families being supported by the service whose children are genuinely at risk of entering care is low.
“The review has identified that most children and families supported are not on the edge of care.”
The contract is due to end on June 30, with a final decision set to be taken by Cllr Oliver soon.
Conservatives have called for evidence that other services will replace the work, and said they will continue to fight the decision.