Start Well

Residential Care

The recently launched Children in Care and Care Leavers Accommodation Strategy outlines our commitment to building our offer of suitable and targeted accommodation for our children in care and care leavers; both at the point they need care, including the family time we support for them with the people important in their lives, through to how we best provide homes fit for purpose as our young people transition to independence.

Local, regional and national challenges regarding sufficiency of accommodation have experienced further pressures as a result of the global pandemic. Over the past 12 months, the numbers of children coming into our care has grown as we recognise the impact upon families of this unprecedented time. We know that we can build upon positive work within borough to ensure we can be the best corporate parents to those children who need us.

Where we are now

We do not have a sufficient supply of suitable accommodation within Cheshire West and Chester which is compounded by increasing demand and large numbers of local places being taken by other local authorities.

Some of our children have increasingly complex needs which are challenging for foster carers to manage. Including:

• Increase in teenagers using high risk self-harming strategy as a coping mechanism, e.g., cutting, overdose, ligaturing.
• Impact of chronic neglect compounded by autism spectrum disorders/ADHD
• Increase in number of young people exhibiting complex sexually inappropriate & harmful behaviours.
• Increase in young people being sexually and criminally exploited.
• Increase in number of adoption breakdowns and the impact of emotional harm caused by the rejection.
• Increased number of young people aged 15yrs requiring care who are exhibiting violent behaviours.

There is a lack of integrated residential care and education provision in Cheshire West and Chester which contributes to children being placed out of borough.

Where we want to be

We need a children’s residential market with sufficient numbers of placement options to meet the rising demand and complexity of need.

We need more emergency residential care that can offer short term/time limited high intensity placements to meet the needs of more complex young people while a more permanent placement can be found.

We want a market that can deliver innovative accommodation solutions which respond to the increasingly complex needs of our looked after children, offering them support they need to live a great life.

We want a market that provides a broader, more flexible and accessible range of quality residential solutions which ensures that the needs of our most challenging and complex children/young people are met.

We want innovative and collaborative solutions and we are keen to explore opportunities to develop integrated residential and education provision and the role of the Community Sector to support young people in alternative accommodation and independent living solutions.

Who we need

We want to work with high quality care providers. In particular, we are interested in working with organisations who have an appetite to work collaboratively to explore opportunities such as integrated residential and education provision or other partnership models.

We want to work with Community Sector organisations to explore opportunities for service delivery.

Supported Living and Group Living Accommodation

Where we are now

The Floating Support ‘Step forward Service’ and Supported Lodgings service has been commissioned for the next 5 years (from 1^st April 2023). The service supports young people who are ready to develop their independent living skills and be supported to have their own front door.

There is one Supported Group Living Accommodation location for care leavers based in the Chester area, consisting of four self-contained flats, staff office and staff accommodation. A commissioned service providing care leavers with support to live independently is provided until 30^th September 2023.

Where we want to be

We want to grow the numbers of supported living properties with floating support in the areas where our young people live and can identify with.

We want supported living to enhance young people’s lives and support them to learn skills for independent living.

We want to develop more Supported Group Living Accommodation offer with relevant support for independence and local to community support and transport links in the Winsford and then Ellesmere Port areas.

Who we need

We want to develop relationships with Registered Social Landlords to identify suitable accommodation.

Work with organisations to explore opportunities for private capital investment to secure appropriate accommodation which will provide long term options for our care leavers.