The Southend Council plans to reopen a former children’s home to save costs and provide better care for local children in need
Southend: The council bought a five-bedroom home in Shoebury back in 2021. It was used as a children’s home for a bit but closed in 2023.
Since then, it’s been sitting empty. Now, they’re planning to open it up again for four looked-after kids. This move could save the council a whopping £1.2 million in fees they’d otherwise pay to private homes.
They’re thinking about giving a private provider a three-year contract to manage the place for them. Right now, the council is paying around £5,870 per week for each child in “spot placements.” If they can’t find a local spot, kids might even have to go outside the borough.
Laurie Burton, the councillor in charge of children and young people, mentioned that too many kids are in pricey placements outside the city. That’s not great for their wellbeing. The plan is to start with four young people at Caulfield Road.
It might not seem like a lot, but starting small is a good way to grow. Plus, even a few kids can lead to big savings. Since the house was a children’s home before, they won’t need to spend much on fixing it up. Laurie is really excited about the reopening and can’t wait to welcome the first group.
They expect to open the home in the 2025/26 fiscal year, once they get the green light from Ofsted.
A report to the cabinet pointed out that they’re currently placing kids in residential services on a spot purchase basis, which isn’t cost-effective. It makes it tough to negotiate prices with providers.
Setting up this framework for children’s residential services in Southend will help improve care quality and safety while also managing finances better. If they don’t use Caulfield Road, those four spot placements could cost over £1.2 million a year. But the contract for the four beds at Caulfield Road would be around £250k, which is expected to be a better deal.
