Powys council plans to open children's care home

A council-owned care home would hold no more than three children, members were told

A council wants to open its own residential care home for children to give it more control over placements.

It comes after Powys county councillors were told a child's night-time emergency placement in the Midlands fell through while they were en route.

Head of children's services Jan Coles said a property search had begun.

A report to the health and care scrutiny committee said Powys had 234 looked-after children in August.

Almost half were with foster parents, while others were in the care of guardians, friends, relatives, and independent fostering agencies or residential homes.

Ms Coles said the authority was looking for a property that would look "like a family home" and host no more than three children.

"We have a number of capital bids in to various funds, both to buy a private property," she said.

"But also looking at what could be released from our own properties to make that happen. We're quite well down the road."

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She added she hoped at least one property would open during the next financial year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We have to get a property, bring that property up to scratch, get it registered, find the workforce and fund all of that," she said.