CHILDREN’S services in Somerset which were recently downgraded by regulator Ofsted to ‘requires improvement’ could be turned around with a £7 million spend over the next five years.

Somerset Council has launched a ‘My World, My Tomorrow’ programme aiming to support children earlier and to ‘reduce avoidable escalation into care’.

The move comes as the rate of children entering care in Somerset has doubled in the past three years.

The programme was named by young people following a consultation and is designed not only to cut costs but to implement and build on Ofsted’s recommendations.

The council hopes that earlier intervention to avoid children entering care will deliver more than £28.4 million of savings by 2031-32.

It also wants to improve value for money and ensure council taxpayers pay ‘fair and transparent prices’ for residential homes.

Children, families, and education executive director Claire Winter said: “We have 23 per cent of our children in care being looked after in residential care, with the national average being 10 per cent.

“There are poor outcomes for children in residential care.

Somerset Council's County Hall headquarters, in Taunton.
Somerset Council's County Hall headquarters, in Taunton. (Tindle News)

“That is very well-researched in terms of their outcomes going into adulthood, and obviously the cost of residential care is absolutely huge compared to foster care.

“We have seen a net increase in foster carers over the last two years, which goes against the national trend of steep declines.

“We are bucking that trend, but not in sufficient numbers to actually be able to meet the needs of our children.”

Council leader Cllr Bill Revans said: “We have seen demand and costs escalating in this area of children’s services.

“We have to do something different, something better.

“This is an investment in prevention, bringing together several improvement plans to help us reduce costs.

“But, more importantly, also providing better futures for our children and families.”