With a number of vital support services for children and families in Flintshire and across Wales being cut or closed, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has warned that this will force those affected "to rely on statutory services, escalating to crisis at far higher cost to health and social services".
Mr Isherwood raised the matter in this afternoon's Business Statement when calling for a Welsh Government Statement on early years support in Wales.
He said:
"One of my daughters works at Home-Start Flintshire. They provide indispensable early-stage intervention and prevention support for families with at least one child under the age of 11. Families access this service because it is non-judgemental, non-statutory, strengths-based support. However, Flintshire County Council are replacing this with a Council-run crisis service, and Home-Start are being forced to end their support for children aged over two.
"This Council are also closing the Flintshire Families Disability Service, operated by Action for Children, from 31st March. The Council told me that this is to ensure they ‘can continue to meet needs within the constraints of available funding’.
"I'm a Patron of Your Space (Marches), which provides essential support for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions and their families. They were forced to close last month.
"For the first time in their 32-year history, Cerebral Palsy Cymru are having to turn away babies who would benefit from their expertise and life-changing support.
“And on it goes……
"The Finance Secretary ignored warnings that this would happen. These families will now be forced to rely on statutory services, escalating to crisis at far higher cost to Health and Social Services. I call for an urgent Statement accordingly."
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood added:
“The disconnect between what is happening in the real world and the virtual reality currently dominating Cardiff Bay is telling.
"As I stated in the Chamber when calling for the Welsh Government’s 2026-27 Budget to invest wisely, ‘despite this Finance Secretary’s stated public support for inclusion, prevention and early intervention, last year’s Budget starved Charitable and Community service providers of resources, thereby generating far higher cost pressures for Statutory Service Providers’. His 2026-27 Budget delivered more of the same.
"Families access these charity services because they provide expert, non-judgemental, strengths-based support, unlike some other early-years services. Barriers to the most hard-to-reach families will be increased if forced to rely on statutory services, escalating them to crisis.”
