City included in £53 million drive to help find appropriate placements.
Milton Keynes’ three Labour MPs have today welcomed £53 million in additional funding from the Department of Education to create two hundred more placements in council-run, high-quality children’s homes.
A shortage in appropriate placements for children and young people in recent years has led to a sharp increase in the number of children placed in illegally operating and unregulated accommodation, with these placements costing councils across the country £440 million a year.
Reports of individual placements costing more than a million pounds each have become disturbingly common, and many councils are forced to place children in accommodation far away from their homes, communities, and support networks.
This additional funding awarded by the Government and announced last week by Janet Daby MP, the Minister for Children and Families, will help local authorities, including Milton Keynes, to provide high-quality placements within their own boundaries for children with complex needs. It comes as part of an extra £2 billion for the children’s care sector over the course of this Parliament.
“We’re providing a roof over the heads of vulnerable children, and making sure they get the best start in life,” said Callum Anderson, Labour MP for Buckingham and Bletchley. “I’m so pleased we’ve been awarded this local funding”.
“I am very pleased to see Milton Keynes receive a funding award to provide additional high-quality placements for children within our city, which will help give every child the chance they deserve,” added Chris Curtis, Labour MP for Milton Keynes North.
And Emily Darlington, Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central, commented: “This Government is cracking down on those cashing in on vulnerable young people and helping to ensure they aren’t dragged away from their existing support networks”.
