COUNCIL LOOKS TO OPEN 6 NEW CHILDREN’S HOMES IN COUNTY
Plans could save authority £500k a year
PLANS are being drawn up to open six new children’s homes to help meet demand for places.
Staffordshire County Council wants to open the homes at undisclosed places to help keep youngsters in care living locally.
Cabinet members will consider the plans at a meeting on Wednesday. A report to the cabinet said that as of December 9 2023, there were 1,360 children in care, including 124 living at residential homes.
Running six children’s homes could save the authority around £500,000 a year compared to the cost of placing 12 children with external independent providers at an average cost per child of £7,500 per week.
The report added: “SCC spends approximately £31.5m per year on residential homes with 124 independent places at any one time. The 20 high-cost places costs SCC £150k per week, which equates to £7.8m per year.
“Of the 124 children, 68 (57%) are placed outside of Staffordshire (7% of which are in Stoke-on-trent). Ideally they would be placed within the county.
“A recent report prepared by the LGA (Local Government Association) compared our level of spend to other local authorities and Staffordshire is a ‘middle payer’ compared with other local authorities. Some costs nationally have been reported to run to £63,000 per week.
“The urgency for Staffordshire means that we cannot wait for national changes. The pressure on budgets requires a proactive approach in the short term to help us address the financial overspends.
“The single most important step we can take in reducing the cost is securing a stable home. When we do not secure the stable home it often results in multiple moves; the 20 most complex children were moved 71 times in total.”
Each proposed home would accommodate up to two children.
Councillor Mark Sutton, cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: “Providing a safe and nurturing environment for our most vulnerable children is a priority for us. Most local authorities are facing challenges in this area, which is why it is important we plan effectively to help meet their needs.
“We work with families to keep children within the family setting wherever it is safe to do so. If a child is placed in care, we try to find suitable foster carers to place that child in a loving home environment.
“If however, a residential home is the appropriate option, developing more places within Staffordshire will ensure our most vulnerable children will be cared for locally and will provide more stability for children – to help them thrive.”
In Stoke-on-trent proposals for children’s homes have not been welcomed by some residents however. Plans for a home for two children in Minton Grove, Baddeley Green, met with 80 objections, while one angry resident said ‘we have enough children’ living on a Longton estate where another home for two youngsters in care was proposed.
Police warned that the city was ‘saturated’ with children’s homes in response to a proposal for Wellesley Street, Shelton. The application for a home accommodating up to four children was withdrawn by the applicant.