Barking and Dagenham Council has approved plans to build three new children's homes, providing 17 new placements, as part of a strategy to reduce reliance on expensive external placements and improve care for looked-after children.
The decision, made at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, forms a key part of the council's Looked After Children Sufficiency Strategy 2026-2030. This strategy aims to ensure the council meets its legal duty to provide sufficient, high-quality placements and support for children in care or at risk of entering care. The new homes are intended to offer better local control and oversight, and will be regulated by Ofsted to ensure quality of care.
Councillor Jane Jones, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Education & Schools, presented the strategy, highlighting the significant financial case for investing in in-house provision. She noted that the five most expensive external placements currently cost over £5.75 million annually. While specific projected cost savings from the new homes are not detailed, the strategy emphasizes that developing local residential provision will reduce reliance on expensive external placements and creates long-term cost avoidance.
The new children's homes are expected to be operational from early 2028 and are funded by a £5.4 million grant from the Department for Education, matched by the council. The homes will provide placements for children with a range of needs, and a joint venture with the NHS is planned for a crisis centre. This short-stay facility will support children with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, as well as those experiencing delayed hospital discharge and frequent A&E attendance, aiming to provide respite and prevent them from entering full care.
Councillor Rubina Siddiqui, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy & Skills, expressed her belief that the strategy would have a positive impact, providing a clear roadmap for improving council services and ensuring earlier support for residents.
The council will be commissioning a provider partner to develop the skilled team needed to staff the homes
for the new children's homes. This is in addition to the importance placed on recruiting, training, support and incentivise our own in-house provision
for foster carers.
The success of the Looked After Children Sufficiency Strategy 2026-2030 will be measured by several outcomes beyond just reducing external placements. These include: Fewer children entering care, more local placements and foster carers so that our young people can more easily stay connected with those that are important to them.
The strategy also aims for better outcomes, which is obviously the most important thing for our young people.
The overall goal is to ensure sufficiency of provision is an ongoing process
and that what we are providing is what our young people need at that time.
The current strategy is described as a comprehensive document that will ensure that the council meets its legal duty to provide sufficient, high-quality placements and support for looked-after children and those at risk of coming into care.
It will be revisited during its lifespan to adapt to the evolving needs of young people. The emphasis on developing local residential provision suggests a long-term commitment to this approach.
