Residential accommodation scheme approved to enable local children and young people to receive care in their own county

A new residential provision will be developed by Ceredigion County Council to allow children and young people who require care and support to remain in their own county.

Currently, there is no registered residential provision for children and young people in Ceredigion and, as a result, children who require such support are placed in care facilities outside of the county and, in some instances, outside of Wales. Such circumstances can have a negative effect on children when they have to move away from their communities.

During a Cabinet meeting held virtually on 07 December 2021, it was approved that a small residential home will be established in mid Ceredigion with skilled and trained staff to provide quality care 24/7. A strategy will also be developed to consider similar options in other locations across the county and this will form part of a wider regional initiative.

Ceredigion County Council is committed to ensuring local children and young people receive the best possible care, whilst also keeping families in regular contact whenever it is safe to do so. The new facility will afford the opportunity for children to safely remain in their community, continue to receive their education locally, develop skills, improve their life chances and to contribute positively to the wider fabric of the county. Providing a bilingual provision is also a key priority in Ceredigion so that individuals can maintain links with Welsh speaking communities and their Welsh identity.

Small Home

Since the Pandemic, Ceredigion County Council, along with many other local authorities in Wales, has seen a significant increase in the number of families requiring support and the number of children and young people requiring care.

With this rise and the UK wide shortage of foster and residential placements, it has become increasingly difficult to locate suitable placements for children and young people. 

Councillor Alun Williams, Cabinet Member for Porth Cynnal – Specialist Through Age Services, said: “The well-being of vulnerable residents is of paramount importance in Ceredigion. We want to provide young people with the help they need within or close to their own community rather than see those in challenging circumstances having to move away and spend their childhood a long way from home. Enabling local young people to stay in the county helps to keep families together and remaining a part of their community helps provide the stability and confidence that young people need in order to develop. Creating a safe accommodation resource within Ceredigion is an important step in the right direction.”

Sian Howys, Statutory Director for Social Services, added: “The Social Services and Well-being Act 2014 places legal duties on Local Authorities, as corporate parents, to ensure that children are cared for as close to home as possible and that they can maintain safe relationships with their families and those who are important to them. The Children’s Commissioner’s recent report, ‘No Wrong Door’, sets out a clear expectation that Local Authorities and Health Boards work together under the Regional Partnership Boards to develop a range of integrated support services for children with complex behavioural and emotional needs.”

Further consultation will be held in the new year. The decision coincides with the launch of the Ceredigion County Council’s Through Age and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-2025, which sets out the Council’s vision for the development of a range of innovative and person centred support to help safeguard and promote the wellbeing of the people of Ceredigion.