UK Chancellor Reeves Launches £500M Fund for Vulnerable Children

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is launching a £500 million Better Futures Fund aimed at supporting up to 200,000 vulnerable children and their families over the next 10 years. The fund will address issues such as school absence, mental health challenges, addiction, and crime prevention, and the government aims to raise an additional £500 million from local councils, investors, and philanthropists to supplement the initiative. Overseen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the fund represents the largest of its kind and seeks to create a coalition of government, local authorities, charities, social enterprises, and philanthropists to improve life chances for disadvantaged young people. Reeves emphasized the fund's role in giving children facing tough challenges better opportunities and breaking down barriers to their potential. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy highlighted the fund's partnership with the impact economy as a key step toward inclusive growth and community strengthening. The initiative has broad backing from organizations such as Save the Children UK, The King’s Trust, and Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, and comes amid political pressure to do more for low-income families and vulnerable children.