The plans suggest the cuts could be made by 'improving the targeting' of early intervention, and that £675,000 could be saved over two years by reducing the provision of specialist services for children with special educational needs.
The proposals come after the council made immediate cuts of £1.5m to children's services last year, which early years experts warned would 'destroy' the best early years provision in the area (News, 18 August 2010).
June O'Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), which has 14 settings in Westminster, said, 'I'm very concerned. Some of the children that we are taking for early intervention come from appalling backgrounds. Cutting this funding is a false economy, for children and families, and for society as a whole, and it will put a huge burden on schools'.
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