Council to buy more homes for children in care

Middlesbrough Council wants to provide more accommodation for children in care

A council has said it can save more than £1.9m over the next four years by creating more accommodation for children in care.

Middlesbrough Council is spending £2,300 a week placing children in accommodation out of the area, because its own facilities are often full.

A report to the authority said the cost for 76 children was projected to be £14.4m this financial year.

Cabinet member for children’s services Zafar Uddin said the new plans would mean children would feel "more part of our community".

The council had 528 children and young people in its care last month, of which 97 were in residential care, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The local authority has four children’s homes and supported accommodation consisting of 10 flats and nine supported lodgings for those with higher needs.

The report said their occupancy is high, at 90% in residential homes and 100% in supported accommodation.

'Extremely beneficial'

The council’s revised approach will involve spending £4.5m on new-build properties from home builders or from the private market.

Two six-bed children’s homes could be bought in 2024-25, one three-bed in 2025-26, and a further two six-bed homes in 2026-27.

The benefits would include supervised family time being easier to manage and there would be more potential for children to return home, the authority added.

Mr Uddin said: “Having Middlesbrough children looked after closer to home is extremely beneficial to their upbringing.

“At the same time, it puts us in a position where our arrangements are more cost-effective which is vitally important as we look to make the council’s financial position more sustainable.”