By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham City Council will be spending up to £2m every year on four specialist bed placements for children in care.
The money will be spent on two, two-bed homes for children in care who face challenges in finding a placement within standard residential services.
Children and young people who need specialist placements have different and more complex needs, often due to behaviour that requires additional support, the council says.
In total £18.72m is being allocated for the beds over nine years, or just over £2m each year.
As of July this year, there were 640 children in the care of the authority.
Some 11 children are currently living in unsuitable housing that is not registered with children’s services watchdog, Ofsted.
While Ofsted is aware, this type of housing is used short-term and in emergencies, particularly when a child can only live on their own or specifically matched with one other child if they are stable.
The two-bed housing will help get children into registered accommodation that is more suitable for them, while also providing a cost saving if it needs to be run as solo provision for a time.
The decision to spend the money is due to be approved at a Commissioning and Procurement Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday (September 10).
“While the overall number of children in care in Nottingham is now falling, finding placements for children with complex needs and challenging behaviours close to Nottingham City remains a challenge,” documents say.
“Many of these children have experienced emotional and physical trauma in their lives and may have moved placements four or more times as providers struggle to manage their behaviour, particularly if in homes with three or four other children.
“The need for solo placements, often necessitated by children whose behaviour negatively affects their peers, is not only expensive but also not a long-term solution.
“It results in the child’s isolation from their peers, which can hinder their social development and their transition to independence in adulthood, particularly if they are also excluded from mainstream schooling.
“Additionally, solo placements always require at least two staff members, which may not be necessary once the child becomes more stable.
“Two-bed homes enable a second child to be placed when the first child is more stable, reducing the likelihood that the first child will need to move again or that a solo placement continues indefinitely.
“It also enables staffing levels to be reduced to one-to-one where appropriate which is more cost-effective than solo placements requiring two staff at all times.”
In total £11.262m has been guaranteed for the contracted service provider, with the option to increase to £18.72m if needed.
The council says its focus is to ultimately reduce the number of children in residential placements, by continuing to prevent children coming into care through early intervention, and through fostering.
However, it says residential care remains the only viable solution for nearly 19 per cent of Nottingham’s children in care.
“Therefore ensuring that we have cost-effective homes, suited to the needs of our more complex children is essential,” the council documents add.
