Issue - meetings

The Corporate Director of Children, Education & Communities to present a report which recommends actions to develop the city’s residential provision for children in care, in order to better meet the current and future needs of children and young people in care.

[See also under Part B]

Resolved:  (i)      That Option 3, which is within the existing revenue budget, be approved.

(ii)      That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director, Children, Education & Communities (CEC) to purchase the individual properties required for service delivery within the agreed capital budget.

(iii)     That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director CEC to grant, and agree the terms of, a lease of any purchased properties to the council’s appointed service providers.

Reason:     In order to develop the city’s residential provision for children in care and ensure that the council meets its statutory sufficiency duty.

[See also under Part B]

The Corporate Director, Children, Education & Communitiespresented a report which recommended actions to develop the city’s residential provision for children in care, in order to better meet their future needs and to comply with the council’s statutory duty to have sufficient placements for children in care.

Although the number of children in care in York had remained relatively stable, the current residential offer was not sufficient for the increased complexity of need caused partly by young people entering into care later in childhood.  The options available to address this gap in meeting the needs of certain cohorts of children were detailed in paragraphs 20-37 of the report and are summarised below:

Option 1 – maintain the current position.  This would not resolve current gaps or improve future sufficiency.

Option 2 – sell Wenlock Terrace and have no internal residential provision; spot purchase Independent Fostering Agency and residential placements.  This would not represent a planned approach to meeting needs and would leave the council vulnerable to market forces.

Option 3 – purchase three new buildings, adapt Wenlock Terrace to 6 bed Supported Accommodation, procure new external providers to deliver residential services and provide step-down foster care.  This was the recommended option.

In response to questions from Members and matters raised under Public Participation, officers confirmed that:

·        the proposed arrangements would offer more flexibility;

·        a systematic, therapeutic approach to residential provision would improve placement stability and outcomes for individual children;

·        the service had been outsourced for many years; indicative costs of bringing provision in-house (para. 22) were based on potential unit costs and staffing costs.

Resolved:  (i)      That Option 3, which is within the existing revenue budget, be approved.

(ii)      That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director, Children, Education & Communities (CEC) to purchase the individual properties required for service delivery within the agreed capital budget.

(iii)     That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director CEC to grant, and agree the terms of, a lease of any purchased properties to the council’s appointed service providers.

Reason:     In order to develop the city’s residential provision for children in care and ensure that the council meets its statutory sufficiency duty.