Shropshire children with complex needs in care homes hundreds of miles away
Children from Shropshire with complex needs are being placed in care homes hundreds of miles away, says a new report.
Currently there are 14 children with complex care needs living a “significant distance” from the county – including one in Glasgow and another in Cumbria.
Shropshire Council is looking at investing £1.2 million to provide new homes with specialist support.
Councillor Kevin Pardy, who was part of the task and finish group that produced the report, warned that residential care services in Shropshire are nearly in crisis.
And he said the council has an obligation as “corporate parents” to protect children in its care.
Councillor Pardy said: “This is important to me and it would help if this is recommended because if not it will turn a service that is nearly in crisis into a crisis.”
The report, which was presented to the People Overview Committee on Wednesday backed a series of recommendations that include investing £800,000 to develop a pair of two-bed homes for children with complex needs.
The council is looking to invest a further £400,000 to provide a suitable property to support young people who are preparing to return home or to foster care.
Increasing
Councillor Pardy added: “Investment should be looked at to give these children a better choice and then in future, hopefully, they won’t have to come back knocking on our door when they are older.
“I think there will be a need for more properties in the future but I think this is the beginning.”
The taskforce report also noted the cost of care is increasing, with the council facing an increase of £1.5 million in residential placement costs compared with the previous year.
The annual cost of running the new homes for children with complex needs will be £1.23 million per year – a saving of around £150,000 in comparison with the current providers.
Members said they would put the protection of children over savings.
Colleen Male, head of Children’s Social Work and Safeguarding, said: “The harsh reality is that it is about investing to save because if we continue to rely on the private sector these costs will spiral out of control.
“The current provision is not sustainable.”
