Like a piercing, bitter English winter, Chancellor George Osbourne's "autumn statement" was eye-wateringly harsh. It is, without doubt, children and young people growing up in the most deprived households who are being asked to bear the brunt.
For more than a few years it has been blindingly obvious to all of us working in children's services that early intervention and prevention has to be the best way of improving children's lives.
In her inaugural speech as president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services for 2021/22, Charlotte Ramsden said: “Crucially, we need better residential care, with placements that meet children’s actual needs.
You can understand if school leaders feel a little put upon. Not content with being tasked to prepare the next generation for the challenges of a rapidly changing world, policymakers are increasingly turning to schools to solve some of society's wider problems.
The outstandingly depressing budget of 2009 has left children's services in limbo, braced for the tightest of public spending squeezes and a likely change of government.
It was an "exceedingly drawn-out" appointments process, according to one Welsh politician. But Keith Towler came through the interviews, both with young people and politicians, to secure the position of children's commissioner for Wales, just under a year after the untimely death of his predecessor Peter Clarke.
All the directors and local politicians I've spoken to of late agree that the impact of the cuts has only just begun to be felt, and that there is much pain yet to come. This is a hard message for colleagues in services at risk and for the young people they serve.