Vulnerable children may no longer be sent to residential care facilities outwith the region under radical new plans, a social work report has revealed.
Important work is progressing to address Dumfries and Galloway’s children’s care crisis, with the ultimate aim of eventually ending the practice of children and young people in care being sent to unfamiliar locations elsewhere in Scotland – at astronomical costs.
A new model of delivery is being developed for more children to live in “ordinary houses” within Dumfries and Galloway, and a full business case with all the options will be ready in four months’ time.
However, councillors will be given an update on the work at the social work committee today.
In a report produced for the meeting, Charles Rock, the council’s head of children, families and justice services, wrote: “The service has seen considerable growth especially in relation to the need for alternative homes for children and young people, including foster care, children’s houses operated by organisations outwith the council and often outwith the region, complex care arrangements and the requirement for an increased number of secure care placements.
“Wherever possible, we want children and young people to live in a family setting and to be only placed in a children’s house when this is the best option to meet their needs.
“Our residential placement numbers have increased from an average level of 16.4 in 2022/23 to 25 (of which three are in secure placements) for 2023/2024.”
The cost of residential placements reached a staggering £6.048m last year, and a projected £7.96m next year, due to most youths being sent to expensive providers outwith the
region.
The situation has been labelled a “local and national scandal” by Lochar Councillor Linda Dorward, the former co-leader of the council,
Following the closure of Cairnryan House children’s care home at the beginning of the pandemic, there is only one remaining children’s residential care facility in the region – Hardthorn Road in Dumfries.
The bill for four residential placements in this care home is £760,575, according to the council report.
Following calls for the council to open its own care residential facilities, social work chiefs have since been working on plans to “reimagine” residential childcare provision in the region.
Five options are now being fully explored: option one – working with registered social landlord Wheatley Homes South to procure properties for care provision; option two – procurement of new arrangements for care utilising Dumfries and Galloway Council property; option three – commission an external case service in partnership with third sector providers in Dumfries and Galloway; option four – combination of the first three options; and the fifth option is to stick with the status quo, which councillors will undoubtedly immediately dismiss.
Mr Rock wrote in his report: “The options outlined above will be progressed further to include strengths, weaknesses, risks, followed by the associated financial modelling of options.