Issue - meetings

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Young People on the outcome of the review of Halton’s residential provision for children in care.

            The Board had approved a Placement Strategy Review on 5 November 2009, in respect of children in care. The review focused initially on the Borough’s situation in relation to foster care and identified the barriers to the recruitment of carers needed to be overcome in order to address the severe shortage of carers. As a result of that first stage review, the Board agreed to an ‘Invest to Save Bid’ to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers through an increase in allowances.

            Members were advised that in 2004, the Borough had 169 children in care; by July 2010 there were 149. This was contrary to regional and national trends which had seen numbers increase over the previous two years. This had been achieved through a rigorous approach to children in need, child protection and children in care services. The report provided details of the current range of provision for children in care and the associated issues. The Placement Strategy Review concluded that 4 in-house residential beds would be sufficient to meet the needs of children in care. A range of provision, as detailed in the report, would provide reassurance that the Council was committed to providing a suitable setting for care leavers up to adulthood and address one of the key issues that care leavers had raised about the lack of choice.

Reason(s) for Decision

The decision was required in order to ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources and to improve outcomes for children who grow up in care.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Consideration was given to utilising the existing property at Littlebourne for the semi-independent provision. However neither the location nor the size made it suitable for this service.

Consideration was given to developing the semi-independent provision as a Halton Borough Council resource. This was not a cost effective model and would not have allowed the department to benefit from a partnership with an experienced provider of such services.

Implementation Date

It was proposed that the closure of Littlebourne Children’s Home take place by 31^st March 2011 and a contract for semi-independent accommodation be awarded and commence in April 2011.

RESOLVED : That

1.      the proposal to close Littlebourne Children’s Home be endorsed;

2.      in order to meet statutory requirements and responsibilities, the proposal to invest £220,000 of the efficiencies from this re-design to provide essential services to care leavers, foster carers and children in care be  endorsed; and

3.      the financial efficiencies of £150,000 (one off capital) and £105,000 (revenue) be endorsed to contribute to the Council’s efficiency programme.