Children in Care Market Position Statement

As Corporate Parents we have high aspirations for our children. Our ambition for the children and young people in our care is the same as our ambition for all children and young people in Stockton-on-Tees - that they live in safe, secure, and loving environments and are happy and healthy.

There are some children and young people who need to live in other care arrangements, either in the short term or permanently. Our approach in Stockton-on-Tees is to, where possible, enable our children and young people to live with alternative nurturing and supportive families. If we are unable to provide a family setting or if this may not meet the child or young person's needs, we will seek to provide a children's home which replicates family life as closely as possible. We will enable our young people to live in supported accommodation, which includes supported lodgings, staying with their foster carers or group-based supported accommodation depending on their needs, to help them move towards independence. The Council believes that wherever possible the children in our care should live close to their communities to maintain contact with friends, family and the people that are important to their lives.

The care model for Stockton-on-Tees places a focus on working with families whilst children are in care, to support reunification as a permanence option. Our model offers intensive support, family group conferencing, parenting programmes and therapeutic approaches to birth families whilst children are in care, where it is in the best interest of the child, to support families to address any parenting capacity issues and understand their children's needs.

In Stockton-on-Tees we deliver a mixed model of in house internal residential children's homes, supported accommodation and fostering services alongside the commissioning of residential children's homes, supported accommodation and independent fostering agencies. We are looking to work in a collaborative way with providers who share our vision, values and aspirations for our children and young people.

From December 2024 we will be holding regular provider networks to develop relationships with, share information and practice with providers of care and support services. For more information, please contact gemma.mann@stockton.gov.uk.