City’s looked-after children sent as far away as Liverpool

CARDIFF’S looked-after children are being sent as far away as Liverpool for care as the city considers investing in more children’s homes.

Cardiff council will consider building new children’s homes within the next year as part of a range of measures to reduce the amount of youngsters being sent miles away from the city to be cared for.

The recommendations, set out in an inquiry into out-of-county placements by Cardiff children’s services, come as 244 of the 800 cared-for children in Cardiff are based outside the city.

Councillor Lee Bridgeman, chairman of Cardiff council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee which produced the report, said some children have been placed as far afield as Liverpool, the north of England and North Wales.

But Cardiff council said 80% of out-ofcounty placements are within a 20-mile radius of the city, while those based further afield are placed there for a variety of reasons including living with parents or relatives or near their foster families.

Cllr Bridgeman said: “There are young people we understand need to go out of county, for example in cases of sexual exploitation.

“But in general, the first port of call is if they can be placed in Cardiff, wouldn’t it be great if we can have them here?

“We need to reopen children’s homes but they have to look different to what they were. We have to incorporate them into the community.”

Cardiff council’s cabinet will be asked to consider whether the currently boys-only Greenhill Special School could admit girls so they can be looked after within Cardiff.

The council will also consider new strategies to recruit and retain social workers.

On July 21 last year, 155 of the 244 children in placements outside Cardiff were with agency foster carers, while 38 were in a children’s home outside the city.

A total of 14 children were with a foster carer, relative or friend outside Cardiff, 10 were with parents or guardians, while six were in either a youth offender’s institution or prison.

Other out-of-county children were in settings such as residential schools, independent living, or with a foster carer provided by Cardiff council outside the city.

A total overspend in social services of more than £3.9m for 201718 was forecast in February.

Councillor Graham Hinchey, cabinet member for children and families, said the council’s leadership requested the inquiry to “explore every possible way of maximising the number of our looked-after children we place in Cardiff”.

“Wherever possible, we place children in Cardiff, and we have local arrangements and agreements in place with education, health, housing and other key partners to support the care they receive,” he said.

“First and foremost, we have to ensure that placements are fully tailored to meet the complex, varied and diverse needs of the individual, and there is no single area in UK that has the range of provision to meet every possible care need.

“Where we access out-of-county care, we have robust arrangements in place to ensure that they are able to meet the educational, health and social needs of our looked-after children to the fullest extent possible.

“Although I cannot comment on specific cases, the children living more than 20 miles from Cardiff, will be in those locations for a number of reasons, and it is important to recognise the circumstances involved.

“For example, they could have moved away to live with their parents, or another relative. Some may have chosen an independent living setting in that area, so they can stay close to their foster carers.”

Cabinet will meet to consider the recommendations made in the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee report before deciding what direction to take.

He added: “The recommendations in the committee’s report will help us to build on our work to deliver the rising standards we have seen in children’s services over the past six years; work which has been recognised by a number of professional bodies, including the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru and the Care Inspectorate Wales.”