Commenting on Derbyshire County Council’s plans to bring children’s services in-house today (Thursday), with a £7.5m cost to buy and convert five houses into children’s homes, UNISON East Midlands regional organiser Dave Ratchford said:
“This is a much-needed and positive step helping that ensures children in Derbyshire receive the care and support they deserve.
“UNISON has called for this investment for more than a year. It’s good news the council is now taking action to bring services back under local control.
“However, the lengthy period of uncertainty could have been avoided. There’s been unnecessary disruption for children and their families, and experienced staff have gone.
“It’s frustrating that action was only taken when the staggering cost of private care became clear. The priority now must be to rebuild and strengthen these services to provide the stability and continuity that children need.”
Notes to editors:
– The annual cost of private facilities is estimated at around £50m, and there are currently 125 children waiting for places.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.