Broken families warning as counselling funds ‘face axe’
FUNDING for relationship counselling is to be cut, a former Cabinet minister has claimed, a move which he said could lead to more broken families.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former work and pensions secretary, said that the Government was in the process of reviewing policy announced in 2016, which allows for £70 million to be spent on counselling over five years.
In a blog post for Conservative Home, he said: “Without this funding, innumerable families and couples will no longer be able to access marriage and relationship support, particularly those on low incomes and vulnerable groups who often need it the most.
“I was enormously pleased when we increased the spending on such counselling but always hoped that, given the evidence of its effectiveness, more money would be found in due course. I am therefore worried that we may be about to head in the wrong direction.”
He said the plans were due to be part of the upcoming Budget, which is to be announced this autumn.
The MP for Chingford and Woodford Green is also the founder of the think tank The Centre for Social Justice.
Frank Young, of its family policy unit, said: “The rumours that the Government might cut relationship support funding altogether are alarming and need to be reconsidered.
“This would be the first time in over 70 years that the Government has turned away from providing support for marriage and relationships before they break down altogether.
“We don’t know where this has come from but the Secretary of State should urgently intervene.
“The UK has one of the highest levels of family breakdown anywhere in the world. It doesn’t make sense to simply wait until divorce or separation before providing any sort of support, especially when we know how important stronger families are for children.”
Mr Duncan Smith referred to research showing that divorce and family breakdown is linked to poorer health, mental illness and lower educational outcomes.
“The Government’s own evaluation
‘It doesn’t make sense to simply wait until divorce or separation before providing any sort of support’
shows that every £1 spent on relationship support saves the state over £11, not to mention the improvement in life chances for those involved,” he said.
Chris Sherwood, the chief executive of Relate, one of the charities which receives funding and provides both free and subsidised sessions, said relationships “play a critical role in our health and wellbeing and in ensuring that children get a good start in life”.
“Research from Relate found that 18 per cent of UK adults are in distressed relationships, meaning 1.4million families are at breaking point,” he said.
A government spokesman said: “Mounting evidence shows the damaging effect parental conflict has on children, which is why we are committed to supporting parents, whether separated or not, to work together.”