There are 23 secure children's homes in England and Wales; three yearsago there were 29. On average, there are about 35 welfare vacancies eachday across England and Wales.
However, the debate around secure child care seems to be led by theYouth Justice Board rather than the Department for Education and Skills,and the welfare provision appears to be a bolt-on issue decided atindividual council level.
Now another council is reviewing the future of its secure children'shome. Others may follow and decide that they cannot afford to carry thecost of units that are national rather than local resources.
In May, the DfES published a flawed report, The Use By Local Authoritiesof Secure Children's Homes, in response to ministers' concern about therecent fall in demand for welfare beds. The conclusions were drawn frominterviews with representatives from only 13 councils. The whole futureof secure children's homes may be decided on the opinions of these 13people (Children Now, 31 May-6 June).
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
