A new report outlining Cardiff's commitment to providing safe and nurturing environments for Children Looked After in the city has been revealed.

The comprehensive Childrens Homes Strategy 2024 will be brought to Cardiff Council's Cabinet for approval and recommends approving the Providing Homes for Children Strategy, delegating authority for procurement processes, and collaborating with other local authorities.

The strategy is part of the Council's response to the Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill, which mandates the use of not-for-profit entities for providing care home services.

Key Highlights of the Strategy:

• Building on Success: The strategy builds on the Cardiff Children's Services Strategy 2023-26, which focuses on providing the right support for children at the right time and place. Over the past 18 months, Cardiff has successfully sourced, refurbished, and registered four new residential homes, with four more homes under refurbishment. These homes currently provide places for 20 children in need of care. Additionally, a larger property with five self-contained flats has been purchased and is being used to support young people.

• Future Plans: The strategy aims to significantly increase the number of children's homes in Cardiff, reduce reliance on the market, and create new contracting arrangements with providers. The goal is to deliver approximately 20 new homes within a commissioning model, providing additional places for 60 children.

• Engagement and Collaboration: An engagement event held in September 2024 received positive feedback from over 70 representatives from various organizations. The main feedback emphasized the importance of long-term contracts, block contracting to reduce the impact of empty beds, and greater collaboration across providers and public agencies. The strategy also includes collaboration with other local authorities to meet specialist needs, such as a parent and baby assessment unit.

• Financial and Legal Framework: The strategy addresses financial pressures due to increased reliance on external residential placements. The overall commission budget for residential placement has seen a significant increase, with the Children Services base budget growing by 60% since 2019/20 and the external placements budget increasing by 85%. The primary drivers for these increases include fee uplifts in response to the real living wage and cost of living crisis, as well as the higher costs associated with more complex and specialist placements.

• Collaboration with Other Local Authorities: The strategy includes plans to collaborate with other local authorities to meet specialist needs that Cardiff alone cannot sustain. For example, Cardiff is in early-stage discussions with other local authorities about establishing a parent and baby assessment unit. This collaboration aims to pool resources and expertise to provide specialized services that benefit children across multiple regions.

A council spokesperson said: "This strategy represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing safe and nurturing environments for children in Cardiff. We recognise that this is a best achieved through working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our children and young people."

Cardiff Council's Cabinet will meet on Thursday, November 21 to consider the recommendations contained in the report, and a webcast of that meeting will be available to watchAgenda for Cabinet on Thursday, 21st November, 2024, 2.00 pm : Cardiff Council

Prior to the Cabinet meeting, the report with be scrutinised by the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee when it meets from 4.30pm on Tuesday, November 12.Agenda for Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, 12th November, 2024, 4.30 pm : Cardiff Council