New homes for Herefordshire children in care planned

The proposals for two new properties were expected to be backed by councillors

About £6.3m could be spent by a council on extra accommodation for children in care over the next five years.

The proposal for the two new contracted properties is expected to be backed by Herefordshire Council's cabinet on Friday.

Housing the children in smaller properties would mirror "a family-based experience," said the council.

Current accommodation was often outside the county while placements could be "fragile," it stated.

"The risk of not doing anything, and being dependent on a chaotic market that benefits suppliers and is volatile, is understood." said report author Darryl Freeman, corporate director for children and young people.

In October, there were nine young people in care aged from 11 to 17 in the county for whom such accommodation would have been suitable.

The council said it expected to choose a supplier by March with placements following within a year.

Alternative proposals for the council to buy and run its own children's home - or to partner with a neighbouring council - were rejected.

The council was told in October that improvements to its struggling children's services were "too slow" by Ofsted inspectors.

At the time, the authority accepted there were "too many areas" where improvement was not fast or consistent enough.