Placements and agency staff cut after overspend

BCFT was set up in April 2023 to independently run Bradford's children's services

Spending on care placements and agency staff in Bradford will be cut after the council's newly-formed children's services body went over budget by more than £42m.

Launched in April 2023, Bradford Children and Families Trust (BCFT), spent £42.3m more than its £174.0m net revenue budget allocation in its first year.

BCFT was set up after Bradford Council was stripped of control of its children's services in the wake of the murder of Star Hobson and consecutive inadequate Ofsted ratings.

Charlotte Ramsden, chief executive officer for BCFT, said: "We are committed to continuing to work together with Bradford Council to deliver improved services and reduce costs."

Bradford Council was stripped of control of its children's services in the wake of Star Hobson's murder

According to an executive report published last month Bradford "faces financial challenges on an unprecedented scale".

The Labour leader of Bradford Council, councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, has previously blamed a lack of government funding for its overspending.

The £42m includes £32.8m on residential care placement costs and £5.5m on staffing budgets due to agency workers.

Ms Ramsden said: "It has taken time to address the pressures that already existed in relation to number of children in care and high levels of agency staff."

She added that BCFT has a three-year improvement plan to prioritise early intervention, while reducing the number of children needing care.

Ms Ramsden also said that BCFT will "make greater use of family networks to help them keep children safe" and "reduce our need for external residential care through further development of our own homes".

She said the trust was also making " good progress in safely reducing agency staff".

Last month Ofsted noted "notable progress in improving services for Bradford’s children".

Councillor Mike Pollard, who is the finance spokesperson for the Conservatives on Bradford Council, said the council had "set a budget based on wholly unrealistic assumptions", adding that it was inevitable it would overspend.

Meanwhile, Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, the Conservative group leader, said: "Many of the proposals from the BCFT to improve services to children and families are heading in the right direction but progress is slow and agency staffing levels are still too high.

"Agency staffing is extremely expensive and doesn't give consistency of support to children and young people."

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