The report seeks approval from the Children, Young People and Education Committee to agree in principle to invest up to £1,000,000 by way of a loan to the organisation identified in the exempt Appendix 1 to this report to develop children’s residential accommodation in Wirral.

In March 2019, the Children Looked After Sufficiency Strategy (“the Strategy”) was approved by Cabinet. The Strategy set out priorities to strengthen and increase current placement provision within Wirral, including children’s residential accommodation. In accordance with the Strategy, a 6 -bed facility for children with disabilities has been established along with the commissioning of an external organisation to provide Tier 3 respite and short breaks support.

Following approval of the Strategy, collaborative work took place at a Liverpool City Region level to further develop and define a Market Reform Programme which would not only increase placement choice and quality but also seek to strengthen the voluntary/non-profit making position within the children’s care market.

A high level business proposal has been formulated with a view to providing a new, ethical, sustainable network of residential care homes that could significantly improve the life chances of children living in care. For Wirral, this plan involves the establishment of four children’s homes over two phases focussed on supporting the social, emotional and mental health needs of children and young people.

To provide the kickstart funding required to set up the homes in Wirral, the Committee is requested to support a loan on commercial terms in the sum of £1,000,000 for the building allocation, refurbishment and initial employee costs to enable a facility to be provided by an identified organisation in accordance with the relevant regulatory and commissioning requirements. The facility will then be enabled to gain accreditation as a registered facility for a residential care home and to seek admission to an established procurement framework (the North West Flexible Purchasing Scheme) to enable the Council and other local authorities to place children at the facility.

The proposal aims to support the strategic aims and objectives of the Wirral Plan 2025 ‘Brighter Futures’The Wirral Plan articulates a clear priority to secure Brighter Futures for all, regardless of their background. The proposals within this report are aimed at improving the local offer and availability of options of high-quality provision that meets the need of children looked after.