HAMPSHIRE County Council’s (HCC) children’s services is to support the Department for Education (DfE) and the Association for Directors of Children’s Service (ADCS) in assessing national demand for, and the availability of, beds in secure accommodation, for children in need.

HCC’s role will be to co-ordinate identification of such beds for England’s children’s services departments.

Authorities often experience difficulty in finding locating suitable vacancies in secure accommodation. Through co-ordinating the identification of these placements for the whole of the country, a clearer picture can be created of the level of demand, where capacity exists, and develop a greater understanding of the needs of young people requiring secure accommodation.

To handle all welfare secure placement requests, HCC will host an interim unit, funded by the DfE. The interim unit will enable placement teams for each social care authority to make a single call to find a vacancy, instead of having to contact children’s homes individually.

Additionally, over time and based on the knowledge gained, the unit will be able to provide authorities with guidance on the placements that offer the most suitable match for the child needing secure accommodation.

The pilot will begin next month and run for 18 months.