Comment: secure welfare placements

Steve Crocker, ADCS President, said:

“This desperate situation once again highlights the dearth of suitable placements to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children and young people at times of extreme crisis or distress. Many local authorities report major difficulties in sourcing a secure children’s home placement; despite local authorities only making a handful of these placements a year, demand for beds far outstrips supply. Local authorities can then have no other option but to create a highly bespoke placement in the community with intensive wrap around support, while suitable alternatives are sought, costing tens of thousands of pounds per week. Often, community based registered providers can be reluctant to accept children into their care due the levels of need and risk that they can present. In the Spending Review 2021 there was some welcome investment in secure children’s homes, but it will take time for vulnerable children and local authorities to feel the benefits of this. ADCS hopes that the independent review of children’s social care’s final report will include meaningful solutions to the placement shortage crisis we are currently facing, as will the government’s response.”

Ends

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