Wakefield Council to Establish New Children’s Homes Due to Increased Demand

Two new children’s homes are slated to open in Wakefield, addressing a “national crisis” in the provision of care placements for young people. Wakefield Council plans to lease two additional properties to offer short-term emergency placements for up to six children. The authority indicated that the number of children in care across the district had increased by 7%, rising from 639 in March 2023 to 684 in March 2024. A council report stated: “There is a national crisis in respect of sufficient placements for our children and young people in local authority care.” It added: “The number of fostering households nationally has not kept pace with this increase. This means that other forms of placement provision are becoming increasingly important in meeting the needs of children in care.” The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that the council’s cabinet members are expected to approve the leasing of the two properties, along with the recruitment and training of additional staff to manage them, at a meeting on 10 December. According to a report, the national number of children in care reached 83,840 in March 2023, up from 82,170 in March 2022. However, Wakefield continues to have one of the lowest levels of children in care when compared to local authorities of a similar size.