Supporting children and young people in care to

Buckinghamshire Council has unveiled an ambitious plan to prioritise support for children and young people in its care.

At the Cabinet meeting today (Thursday 8 January), councillors approved the 'My Home, My Future: 2026-2030 Placement & Homes Strategy for Children & Young People'.

The strategy sets out the council’s plan to ensure children in its care are supported through high-quality, stable and local placements which meet their individual needs.

Support for children in care has always been a priority for Buckinghamshire Council. In recent years, the council has focused on recruiting more in-house foster carers and creating more local children’s home placements in Buckinghamshire to reduce reliance on expensive external residential placements outside of the county and to help children to stay closer to their local community.

To build on this progress, the strategy has five key aims:

• Increase local residential capacity – continuing the programme to develop 10 new children’s homes in Buckinghamshire.
• Grow and enhance our family of foster carers – supporting existing carers and recruiting new foster carers.
• Improve supported accommodation for those aged 16+ - providing young people approaching adulthood with suitable accommodation which promotes independence, while continuing to provide emotional support and ensuring safety.
• Extend family-based options as alternatives to care – helping keep families together where it is safe to do so.
• Ensuring best practice and efficiency through data – planning services more effectively now and in the future.

Carl Jackson is Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services. He said: “Every child and young person should grow up in a home where they feel safe, loved and valued. As a council, that belief sits at the core of everything we do.

“This aim of the strategy is clear: to bring children closer to their community and offer care which is not just safe, but transformative. Buckinghamshire Council will work with partners and communities to make our vision a reality. We will keep the best interests of every child and young person in our care at the centre of what we do.”