Plymouth children's home challenge holding up £2 million plan

68 children living in residential care outside of the city

Plymouth City Council is finding it challenging to acquire properties  to use as children’s homes, despite putting in offers.

This is the issue currently holding back a £2 million plan to develop more in-house residential care.

The authority wants to open two children’s homes to add to its current one at Downham House, Plymstock, which provides short breaks for children with severe learning disabilities and complex needs.

Speaking at a recent cabinet meeting, service director for children’s services David Haley said offers had been made on properties but they had not come to a successful conclusion.

“We are finding it challenging but are continuing to look and we hope to report soon that we have bought our first couple of houses,” he said.

“We have 68 children living in residential children’s homes at a distance from Plymouth and we want to do the best for those children and bring them closer to home”

The council believes that creating more residential children’s home places in Plymouth will mean children face less upheaval and disruption to their lives and can receive greater support with emotional and behavioural needs.

It will also result in savings of between £200,000 and £500,000 for the first year alone, it has estimated.

Resident placements are one of the council’s biggest expenses. The average cost is £6,700 a week per child and can be as much as £17,000.

Last year the council wrote to the government concerned that companies offering residential care make “eye watering” profits from the most vulnerable children in society.

It said there needed to be “a wholescale change on a national level” as local authorities are at the mercy of these companies.

In Plymouth the plan is to open Ofsted-registered premises offering places for up to six children at a time, with a staff team employed directly by the council.

Cabinet member for children’s social care Cllr Jemima Laing (Lab, Stoke) said Ofsted’s recent second ‘good’ rating of Downham House, after a period of unsettled leadership, showed “a continued progression and sustained outcomes for our children”.

“It provides a stable and positive foundation on which to develop our wider residential offer as we progress plans to open more children’s homes in the city,” she said.

Ofsted rated Downham House ‘good’ in the three categories – overall care and experiences of children, protection of children and leadership and management.

Cllr Laing said it was was a “most thoughtful, inclusive and welcoming place”

David Haley said all the parents spoken to by Ofsted were positive about their children’s experiences at Downham.

“The opportunity for them to have short breaks enables them to stay together as a family and the children to flourish and prosper.

“It makes such a big difference to the lives of families who have children with challenging special educational needs.”