Report attached.

Report: Permission to bid for DFE capital grant to develop local children's homes

Presented by: Cllr Oscar Ford, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

Summary: Havering Children’s Services within the Starting Well Department has a statutory duty to have sufficient homes to accommodate children in need of local authority care. Currently Havering does not operate its own children’s homes and relies on the market to provide for all of its placement needs. For children with the most complex needs, especially those with emotional wellbeing and mental health needs, identifying the appropriate home for them is difficult given the current national and local market position and can often lead to delay of discharge from mental health units.

The Department for Education (DFE) is releasing capital to enable councils, working with NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICB), to develop local children’s home services. The grant will be awarded based upon the identified level of need and the quality of the partnership, which will deliver improved outcomes for children in need.

The creation of a local, specialist children’s home service may prevent children from requiring to be placed in a hospital setting, or provide them with a pathway from hospital. It will also enable the council and ICB to manage their resources better.

The proposal is for Havering to apply for capital funding of £1.1m, which will be match funded by the ICB and Havering Borough Council to create two children’s homes, which will be delivered with specialist health services being deployed to support children with the most complex needs. This project will enable children to remain in Havering, access local schools, have access to their health services and enable them to maintain the most important relationships.

Cabinet:

For the reasons detailed in this report, Cabinet agreed:

1. the Council lead and submit grant bid application to be made to access the Capital Fund at the DFE noting the match funding of £550,000 from the Council on successful bid.

2. Delegated authority to the Director of Starting Well in consultation with Cabinet Member for Children and Young People to agree and enter into the grant agreement should the Council’s bid be successful commit the Council capital budget of £550,000.

3. Subject to recommendation 1 and 2, that the Council enter into an agreement with NHS Integrated Care Board detailing the ongoing commitments between the parties as to the grant arrangements with the DFE.

4. Subject to the above recommendations to delegate authority to the Director of Starting Well to agree the purchase of two assets for the purposes of adapting to accommodate young people locally.