MORE details have been revealed on two new homes for Wiltshire children who do not have carers to give them a place to live.
It was announced at Wiltshire Council’s children’s select committee on 14th March that the houses will be opened by the end of the year and there may end up being three homes.
It was added by a council officer that they will be three-bedroom houses for up to 12 children and young people, helping them to stay in Wiltshire, and near to local schools, friends and support networks.
The officer said, “By the end of April we should know who we’re awarding the contract for the homes to.
“It’s increasingly challenging to find residential places for children. We won’t run them as a council, but we will commission a provider to run them on our behalf. If we don’t commission homes, then we can’t guarantee there will be sufficient homes in Wiltshire.
“So we would just rely on the market to open and run homes. We’ve got more control if we go through this process than working with providers that we necessarily want to work with or are the best providers to work with.”
She added, “It’s two homes but it may potentially be three. When you’ve got children living in a residential home obviously the matching is really important, so we’ve got three bedded units.”
However, Wiltshire councillor Bridget Wayman said, “I remember that the last time there were problems with procurement and pricing and it didn’t go terribly well I seem to recall.”
The officer responded, “If pricing is an issue, we will have to review that. Indications are there has been competition, so that’s positive.”
Wiltshire Council will fund 50% of the cost of purchasing and adapting the two homes, with 50% match funding secured from the Department for Education’s (DfE) £19.5m grant programme to buy or refurbish children’s residential homes to meet growing demand.
Wiltshire Council cabinet member for children’s services Laura Mayes said, “While we always try to place children in care with foster carers, for various reasons this is not always possible.
“In these situations, a children’s home can provide a safe home where young people can feel secure and are close to their education, friends and communities.
“We are pleased to have received the DfE funding to help secure these homes in the county.”
