'We should be increasing funding for Notre Dame Children's Centre'

The brutal funding cuts to the Notre Dame Children’s Centre have rightly evoked some emotional reaction right across the board.

The parents are desperate, staff devastated, and politicians across all parties expressed their fury at the development in the Scottish Parliament over the past week.

It seems both Glasgow City Council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have decided to pursue other options and will cease to fund this vital operation.

The centre itself has warned that this will mean closure in the summer, bringing to an end a century of support for the city’s most vulnerable young people.

The decision is foolish on a number of levels.

Even if those who have made this decision aren’t persuaded by the emotional argument to keep it open, they should at least consider it from a business point of view.

Both the council and the health board are under immense financial pressure, and that doesn’t look like changing any time soon.

So you would think the idea of some preventative spending might be worthwhile for two organisations who have such fiscally bleak futures.

Don’t they realise money spent in these early stages of a vulnerable young person’s life can lead to major savings in the long term, not just in human terms, but in a financial way too?

The people helped by the centre in the north of Glasgow are among the most vulnerable and discriminated against in society.

For some of the young ones in foster care or who have suffered abuse, the odds have been stacked against them from the moment they entered this world.

We’re not talking about a niche community outlet; the centre currently works with around 100 Glaswegian families.

A photograph carried by this newspaper, showing a young person being greeted by a nun in 1931, paints a wonderful image of an institution which has served its city tirelessly.

It presents young people with the opportunity of a future.

And if the authorities can only think of it in financial terms, they should consider this.

A disadvantaged young person who gets the support they need from a centre like this has everything changed for them.

They are more likely to do well at school, to go on to further education and gain skills, and to secure a steady and secure job.

That brings stability to their lives, allows them to grow friendship and support networks, and pursue a family life of their own if they want to.

Such people, as countless evidence shows, are less likely to fall victim to addiction, to require health service interventions and, if they have a lifetime of work, won’t trouble the benefits system either.

All those things result in enormous financial savings for the state, especially if it can be replicated many times over.

So if they want a business case to continue the funding, there is one available.

But even without it, the human difference such centres make is enormous.

Notre Dame Children’s Centre has spent the best part of a century turning lives around in Glasgow.

If anything, we should be increasing its funding to do more.

If the council and the health board aren’t interested in doing so, the Scottish Government must step in.

Last week, First Minister John Swinney admitted he was "concerned".

He must turn that concern into hard cash and a bright future for Notre Dame.