Government announce investment in residential child care
The DfE has announced the first phase of their £259 million investment in children’s homes and secure children’s homes announced at the Spending Review.
An initial £12 million will create new places in secure children’s homes in all nine regions of England, including for work to create new homes in London and the West Midlands.
Part of this initial investment will create new ‘step-down’ places to support children to move on from their secure children’s home when they are ready.
As well as new places in secure homes, additional places in children’s homes will also be created over the same time period, the first wave of which follows a match-funded bidding round in July led by the DfE. Successful projects in this first wave will be confirmed shortly.
The secure and ‘step down’ places announced include:
- £2.1 million for the North West, to expand two existing homes in St Helens and Salford, creating 10 extra beds;
- £1.1 million for the North East, to create extra beds in two existing homes in Durham and Northumberland;
- £1.1 million for Yorkshire, including five refurbishment projects in Sheffield;
- £3.5 million for the East Midlands, to rebuild an existing home in Lincolnshire and refurbish a home in Nottinghamshire, creating six additional beds and six new step-down places;
- £1.2 million for the East of England, including seven refurbishment projects in Peterborough;
- £800,000 for the South West, including seven refurbishment projects in Devon; and
- £900,000 for the South East, including refurbishment work to an existing home in Hampshire.
In addition, funding will be provided to consortia in both London and the West Midlands to begin work required to create secure children’s home provision in both of those regions.
