Decision details

The Cabinet Member with the Children and Young People Portfolio introduced the report of the Group Director of People (previously circulated) outlining a series of proposals to reduce dependency on costly external placements, and to support and improve placement sufficiency for children and young people in Darlington.

The submitted report stated that sourcing placements for looked after children was at crisis point nationally with an increasing reliance on high-cost unregulated emergency placements or expensive residential care due to a lack of more appropriate placements; the issue had been compounded in Darlington by increases in the looked after population and the mandated National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC); and that the increased number of children cared for by this Council, coupled with a lack of placement sufficiency had resulted in a significant increase in placement expenditure along with a reduction in placement stability for children and young people looked after by this Council.

It was reported that a range of responses to those challenges had been implemented; those measures on their own could not effectively meet the scale of the pressure; this Council did not have the in-house sufficiency to meet the diverse needs of children downstream and the baseline support offered benchmarked negatively in the region in terms of core support; a number of service critical proposals had been developed in response which comprised the enhancement and growth of this Councils foster care service and directly provided children’s residential care services; and that the proposals avoided an overreliance on high-cost external placements and supported the growth of step down and transition to adulthood provision in response to increased demand.  Particular reference was made to the financial implications of the proposals and the impact on the draft Medium Term Financial Plan.

Discussion ensued on the proposals; the monitoring of the proposals; and working with other local authorities in either Durham or the Tees Valley.  The Cabinet Member with the Children and Young People Portfolio responded thereon.

RESOLVED – That the proposals, as detailed in the submitted report, be supported, and they be progressed to Council within the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) process.

REASONS – (a)  The current overreliance on externally provided children’s social care placements is unsustainable.

(b)  The Council needs to diversify the range of directly provided children’s social care services in order to meet the needs of Darlington children and improve placement stability.

(c)  The proposals have a positive impact on the MTFP.