Major shake-up of children's homes as five closed

There is to be a major shake-up of children's homes across Somerset after five have been temporarily closed.

Only three of Somerset Council's nine children's homes are currently open. It follows Ofsted inspectors ruling one home was "volatile and dangerous".

The council plans to take over running three of the homes previously operated by the Shaw Trust. The remaining six homes will be run by at least two other organisations.

Council leaders said the new plan would "deliver better outcomes and value for money for Somerset children". Shaw Trust CEO Chris Luck previously told the BBC the "combination of the children and the demand for care has changed".

The council went into partnership with the Shaw Trust in 2022 as part of an £80m project, buying family-sized homes to be used for children who were unable to cope in other care settings such as foster care, due to their complex needs and challenging behaviour.

The model was seen as a departure from what has been the trend across the sector in the past few decades, which has seen fewer council-run residential children's homes and greater reliance on private providers.

This can often mean young people are sent far away from where they live to placements costing the council up to £15,000 per week.

Earlier this year, one of the children's homes was closed after Ofsted inspectors found "serious and widespread failures" putting children at "significant risk of harm" - including an allegation a member of staff hit a child.

Following the temporary closure of further homes, Shaw Trust announced it would be terminating its contract with Somerset Council.

Somerset Council's executive committee has now agreed the authority will operate three of the homes itself.

Two will be used as assessment centres for children taken into care, and one will be used as a respite home for neurodivergent children with complex behaviour needs.

The council report said: "This alliance of providers and services will increase local sufficiency, resilience and stability, delivering better outcomes and value for money for Somerset children."

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