There are an estimated 1.6 million children in families in England with complex needs for which there is no national established, recognised form of support according to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. That includes, for example, children in families in which parents have mental health issues, or are facing domestic violence, or are living in food poverty. Such families may be receiving help locally, but local schemes and projects have suffered as a result of Government spending cuts. They are not recorded in any aggregate national statistics. There is no established framework of assessment and intervention, beyond what families, communities and voluntary services can provide and whatever support public services, such as criminal justice or social care, may provide locally.
For more information, see the Children Commissioner for England’s Vulnerability Report 2018 (pdf download)