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RESOLVED:
 

1.   
That Cabinet agrees to allocate the remaining
£3.3m from the designated Care Leaver Accommodation and
Children’s Home capital pipeline budget for the delivery of a
new-build replacement four-bed and additional two-bed
children’s home on the existing site of children’s home
SC040631 in Cobham.  This will follow the same model as has recently
been delivered in Walton and planned for delivery in
Dorking.
2.   
That Cabinet confirms delegated authority to approve
the details of the scheme within overall budget constraints prior
to construction to the Corporate Programme Panel, in consultation
with:
·     
Executive Director – Children, Families and
Lifelong Learning
·     
Cabinet Member for Children and Families
·     
Cabinet Member for Property & Waste

·     
Director of Land and Property

That Cabinet
notes the overview of the planned capital programme to create new
children’s homes and care leaver accommodation in Surrey and
indicative timescales for delivery, in support of SCC’s
ambition to enable every looked after child to have choice to
remain in Surrey, where this is appropriate to their needs and
circumstances.

 
Reasons for
Decisions:
 
SCC, as corporate parent, is committed to enabling the best
possible outcomes for Surrey’s looked after children, within
the resources it has available. 
Alongside this moral imperative, we also have a clear statutory
duty to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that there is
sufficient accommodation for looked after children that meets their
needs and is within their local authority (LA) area (Children Act
1989, Section 22G).  Whilst SCC is
already taking concrete steps to deliver this duty and enable
positive outcomes, this further proposal to re-provide an existing
but outdated SCC Children’s Home directly supports the
delivery of our statutory Looked After Children and Care Leaver
Sufficiency Strategy 2020-25, which includes the ambition to create
Surrey homes for Surrey Children.
These proposals also have wider benefits in support of
Surrey’s four Organisation Strategy priorities, as set out
above: growing a sustainable economy so everyone can benefit;
tackling health inequality; enabling a greener future; and
empowering communities.

(The decisions on this item can be called-in by the
Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select
Committee)