Havering’s Starting Well service has set out how it will provide high quality homes and support to more than 280 children in the Council’s care and 320 care experienced young people.
Cabinet has approved the plan which details the service’s priorities and its vision for creating a safe environment for children and young people in Havering and how the Council plans to achieve this over the next three years.
The Children's Services Sufficiency Needs Assessment Strategy highlights the services that will need to be delivered to meet the demand for support and homes in order to fulfil the vision outlined in the Ofsted Improvement Plan.
The strategy has been designed to ensure more children are placed in permanent homes as soon as possible; enabling more children in care to live in the borough by creating new children’s homes; increasing accommodation for children leaving care and ensuring foster carers are well trained.
Children with additional special and complex needs will have better access to short breaks and it will ensure that the child’s needs are fully understood by their carers.
Each child in care will receive support to reach their educational potential.
Nationally, the child population has increased by 1.8 percent, but Havering’s child population has increased by 6 percent, since 2020.
With the overall population increase and one of the fastest growing increases in the younger population, the number of children and young people in care in Havering is expected to rise from 280 to around 298 in the next three years.
This rise in need for homes for children in care has impacted on where they live, with some living outside the borough.
The strategy highlights the need to recruit more foster carers to meet the demand.
The reasons children come into care are various and include abuse, absent parenting, disability and parent ill-health, amongst other issues.
Councillor Oscar Ford, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said:
“Fundamentally, the strategy sets out how we aim to provide good “homes” for children in our care that meet their needs.
“Our children are at the heart of everything we do, and this strategy will enable us to make a significant difference in their lives.
“I am immensely proud of our commitment, dedicated officers, and the work we have accomplished so far as we continue to work diligently to provide children with the opportunities they deserve, ensuring their well-being, safety, and giving them all access to a nurturing and enriching environment.”