A COUNCILLOR is concerned that it could take three years of planning work before a single brick is laid for desperately-needed children’s homes in Dumfries and Galloway.
Lochar Councillor Linda Dorward, above, has been pushing for Dumfries and Galloway Council to urgently address the lack of care provision here, and where youngsters are sent to private care providers outwith the region at a cost of nearly £8m per year.
Social work chiefs have been working hard over the past 18 months to formulate detailed plans to overhaul this system – but Councillor Dorward is worried it may take another 18 months before any firm decisions are taken.
Speaking at the council’s social work committee last Thursday, she asked for a clear timeline to be produced, and added: “Because this could be another 18 months, which is horrendous when you think about where we are and what we are trying to do.
“This is coupled with the fact that we’re trying to get it right – but that’s three years (in total planning).
“That’s not good enough when this is as urgent as it is.
“For me it’s primarily about welfare of children and young people. I know that for all of us now that it’s also about finance because we’re spending £8m per year on very few people.
“That shouldn’t be the driver, it should be about the welfare of young people and children.
“If there’s any way we can speed this up, if the administration can look to speed this up or increase capacity in any way, then it would be really useful.”
Stephen Morgan, the council’s social work director, said: “Thank you for sharing the concerns. Myself, and I hope my staff as well, fully understand that you are not being critical of officers and the work that they’re doing – it’s more of a capacity discussion.
“I think that’s a very valid and fair point.
“We have been working tirelessly in the background, and this is an extremely complicated and complex matter.
“We did initially have a crude and quick look at our own residential provision alone, but we then looked at the whole ecology of care for children and families across whole systems.
“So that has technically delayed getting to the point of building a new children’s house, but we believe for the right reasons.
“As social workers, we’re not experts in building procurement costs etc, but what we’ve concentrated on is the technical social work information which we now have.”
The number of children/young people in residential placements has increased from an average of 16 in 2022/23 to 30 at as February 2025.
The costs of each placement are high and can vary between £3900 and £9200 per week.
