A new three-year strategy to deliver excellent support and accommodation for Cardiff's looked after children, will be considered by the Local Authority's Cabinet when it meets on Thursday, 21 November 

If agreed, the ‘Right Home, Right Support Commissioning Strategy for Accommodation and Support for Children Looked After 2019-2022' will set out clear priorities which respond to the needs of the city's most vulnerable children, young people and their families. It will ensure there is sufficient capacity and an appropriate range of provision to meet their needs by achieving the following commitments;

• Safely reducing the rising number of children and young people looked after
• Increasing the number of children and young people supported to live safely with their families
• Reducing reliance on services away from Cardiff, where these are not in the best interest of the child and young person
• Increasing the number of kinship carers
• Increasing the number of Cardiff Council Foster Carers
• Working positively with Independent Fostering Agencies
• Increasing the range of local residential services to meet children with more complex needs
• Improving the way we commission services

A Cardiff Council's spokesperson said: "Cardiff, like many UK cities, has seen a significant rise in numbers of Children Looked After due to a range of varied and complex reasons. As a result the Council needs develop its services and identify a range of accommodation, care and support which enables them to flourish and thrive.

"This strategy sets out the context in which Children's Services are operating and the key challenges we face but most importantly it provides the basis for our children, young people and families to receive the right services in the right place at the right time, and the achieve better outcomes and live better lives as a result.

"The proposed approach will ensure that the children's rights are at the forefront of all service developments and services, in line with Cardiff's Commitment to becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City. It will also look to continue working in collaboration with external providers and public sector partners, to work innovatively and creatively to access a range of resources to improve outcomes."

The Right Home, Right Support Commissioning Strategy for Accommodation and Support for Children Looked After 2019-2022 will is part of Cardiff Children's Services Strategic Plan 2019-2022 which was approved by Cabinet in July 2019.

It brings together a range of service improvement projects under the creation of one programme; ‘Delivering Excellent Outcomes in Children's Services' and supports delivery of other well-established Council commitments such as the Corporate Parenting Plan, the Council's Capital Ambition and Cardiff's Child Friendly City Strategy which places the rights of children and young people at the heart of its policies and decision making.