Issue - meetings

Developing a residential provision for looked-after children in small group homes needs to be scrutinised as the project is part of the Council's Plan.

a)    To accept the report and wish the development every success.

b)    To note the Committee's desire to receive an update once the residential home has opened and there has been a settling period.

The report was submitted by the Cabinet Member for Children and Families and the Assistant Head of Resources - Children and Supporting Families, noting that the development of a residential home for looked-after children was a priority within the Council Plan.

⁠The background of the plan was shared, noting that there were currently approximately 280 children in the Council's care. Everyone who was a part of the fostering plan was thanked, because the majority of looked-after children had been placed with foster families. It was explained that others lived at home with their families but were receiving consistent support from the Council. It was acknowledged that approximately 20 looked-after children were currently in the Council's care who needed a residential placement and there were insufficient placements to currently offer that service without externalising. Members were reminded that many children were currently placed in areas beyond Wales, such as Bristol and Northumbria.

It was confirmed that the aim of the plan was to replace the need to externalise with the provision provided by the Council, managing to provide residential care for looked-after children for a substantially lower cost than the current average costs.

It was explained that the plan placed two looked-after children in a house in the community to ensure that they had a stable home when fostering was not an appropriate solution for them. Details were provided on a number of the plan's advantages, including receiving care in Welsh, remaining in their local school and continuing to foster a relationship with friends and family when possible. It was confirmed that the main purpose of the Plan was to provide specialist care in Welsh for children locally, removing the need for them to leave the county, or leave Wales to receive this. It was emphasised that the plan complied with the Council's Equality Plan, as well as The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

It was explained that a suitable house had been bought in Morfa Bychan to offer residential care to children between 10 and 18 years old. It was highlighted that the current emphasis was to secure staff for the houses to enable the plan to develop in a timely manner before considering such options for the future. It was reiterated that they hoped to buy two other houses in different communities in the County soon. It was acknowledged that purchasing and completing alterations to the first house was a slow process because necessary procedures and policies were being developed concurrently with the development of the house. ⁠It was emphasised that purchasing homes in the future would be a faster process, because these procedures and policies would already be operational.

It was reported that the plan needed to be completed by the end of 2027, emphasising that three registered residential homes would be required by then. It was acknowledged that many risks had derived from this timetable, namely; difficulty to find a second or third suitable building or difficulty to get the first child in the first  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9