Agenda item

Report of the Director of Children’s Services

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services that sought approval to accept a capital grant and further capital borrowing for the commissioning and provision of an additional home for children with a disability, and to scope out the potential for a second new build property that could be used for the purpose of a children’s home.

A corresponding private report was also submitted to the meeting setting out the commercially confidential matters of the proposals. (Minute 68 below refers.)

A sufficiency needs analysis was a requirement of section 22G of the Children Act 1989 and statutory guidance was issued in 2010. A recent analysis in Coventry had identified the need for additional provision for children with disabilities.

Currently any child with a disability had to live outside of the Coventry because there was no appropriate home within the city boundary. Private provision had not been of good quality and currently the market was not providing suitable local homes for this group of children. This had been acknowledged nationally by the Department for Education (DfE) which had recently announced an initiative to match any capital funding required to enable local authorities to open and run its own provision. The Council had made an application and the service was currently waiting for a decision.

Several options had been considered to meet the identified provision gap in the city. These were accessing the private market, extension of the current block contract, commissioning further provision from the market and providing the provision internally.

The current proposal was to refurbish a vacant Coventry City Council building attached to the current short breaks provision for children with disabilities and to undertake a business case to understand the feasibility of commissioning additional new build provision. This would enable children to live locally and supported improved outcomes for children with a disability. The total capital outlay needed to undertake the work for the additional home was estimated at £1,012,770 following surveys and site visits.

In October 2021, a bid was made to the DfE under its Children’s Home Capital Fund programme for the capital project to be 50% match funded. If the Council’s bid was successful, the DfE would contribute up to £506,385 towards the capital work. The Council would need to fund the remaining 50% of the capital project from prudential borrowing. If the bid for DfE capital match funding was unsuccessful the Council would seek to fund the entire £1m refurbishment from prudential borrowing.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

1)  Approves the acceptance of a Department for Education grant if awarded and the proposal to spend the grant award for the commissioning and provision of an additional children’s home.

2)  Approves capital expenditure of £0.5m to be met from prudential borrowing and in the absence of the Department for Education grant award, agrees that the full £1m be met from prudential borrowing.

3)  Delegates authority to the Director of Finance, following consultation with the Director of Law and Governance, City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer, to negotiate final terms and approve entry into the grant funding agreement to secure the Department for Education funding with the City Council acting as the Accountable Body for the funding and any other agreements as required for further borrowing and future homes.

4)  Tasks officers to scope out the potential for a second new build property that can be used for the purpose of a children’s home.