Essex County Council ‘forced’ to place children in unregulated care homes

Essex County Council is being “forced” to place children “with extreme needs” in unregulated care homes.

Members were told rising costs and a lack of care providers were to blame.

County councillors discussed the issue on Tuesday, October 8, and a cabinet member told the meeting the authority was working on a solution.

The councillors were also told the care homes were “highly expensive” and “not very efficient”.

Colchester Cllr Lee Scordis raised the issue during a review of spending. He said: “I’d be interested to know if we’re still using unregulated care homes because we were using them before, they are highly expensive and we know that obviously being unregulated they’re not actually very efficient.”

Cllr Chris Whitbread, Chancellor of Essex, said: “I think members have to realise the cost and complexity of packages has increased substantially over this period of time and has been in that position now for two years and still rising.”

Cllr John Spence, cabinet member for health, adult social care and integration, said: “We still get forced to use unregulated accommodation with knowledge of the authorities, because when a child needs to be placed it is usually as an urgent matter, and quite frequently with extreme needs, which I must say has been an education to me, to understand just how profound these needs can be.

“We cannot leave them in abeyance, so we have to continue to place them, we are working out plans as to how we can move in the medium and long term to remove any reliance on this part of the market.”