Cornwall Council's bid to keep local children in care in county

More than 100 children in care from Cornwall are receiving their care outside of the county

Cornwall Council is aiming to reduce the number of children in care being sent to other parts of the country.

The authority's children and families committee heard 102 children from Cornwall are receiving care outside the county.

Councillors and care providers are working together to secure provision for children locally as part of a three-year strategy.

The plans include getting more emergency accommodation access.

On Wednesday, councillors heard as of March 2023, there were 565 children in care in Cornwall, including 164 from other areas of the UK.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the council said it wanted to fulfil its "shared ambition to improve the outcomes of children and young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences and for those with special educational needs".

The plans include increasing the number of Cornish children at children's homes in the county, developing new homes and increasing the number of foster carers.

Increasing costs

Cornwall's number of children in care remains lower than neighbouring counties and England as a whole despite higher levels of deprivation.

Officers stressed there was increasing cost and demand for children in care in Cornwall.

The forecast spend in 2023/24 is around £19m with an average placement cost of more than £7,000.

Councillors welcomed the plans, with Michael Bunney - who has worked in teaching for 20 years - saying a "sense of place, identity and sense of home and community" was important for children.

Fellow councillor Peter Guest said it was often due to safeguarding and legal issues that children were placed out of county and vice versa.