Children in Care Sufficiency Strategy 2025-2027

Shropshire Council’s Sufficiency Strategy for Children in our Care 2025–2027 sets out how we will meet our legal duty to ensure there are enough high‑quality, safe and appropriate homes for children who need care. The strategy explains the pressures Shropshire is facing, including a rise in the number of children looked after, since 2020, and outlines the actions we are taking to improve early help, strengthen family support, and expand the right mix of fostering, children’s homes, and supported accommodation.

The strategy highlights the role of key programmes such as Early Help, Stepping Stones, and the Families First Partnership, which together aim to reduce the number of children entering care and support those who can safely return home. It provides a detailed picture of current provision, future demand, and the changes required to ensure Shropshire can meet the needs of children locally, now and in the years ahead.

Summary

The Sufficiency Strategy for Children in our Care 2025–2027 describes how Shropshire Council will secure the right homes, support and outcomes for children who are looked after. The document sets out:

• Current need and trends – The number of children looked after has risen sharply since 2020, reaching 721 by March 2025. Although numbers have begun to stabilise, Shropshire’s rate per 10,000 remains higher than regional and national averages. “Children looked after per 10,000 population increased by 78% between 31st March 2020 – 31st March 2024…”
• Early intervention and family support – Major developments in Early Help and the Stepping Stones therapeutic service have reduced escalation to statutory intervention and helped more children remain safely at home. “A revised front door… resulted in a 297% increase in Early Help contact.”
• Placement sufficiency challenges – Demand for residential care has grown, while fostering capacity, locally and nationally, has reduced. Shropshire needs more specialist foster carers, more step‑across options, and additional provision for children with complex needs, including children’s homes for one child
• Future priorities – The strategy outlines clear objectives, including reducing the number of children in care, increasing local placements, expanding internal residential provision, strengthening external market relationships, and improving supported accommodation pathways for older children and care leavers.
• Working with partners and providers – Shropshire Council will continue to collaborate with regional frameworks, independent providers, and national programmes to ensure high‑quality, value‑for‑money placements that meet children’s needs.

This strategy provides a transparent overview of Shropshire’s current position, the challenges ahead, and the actions we will take to ensure children receive the right support at the right time. It is intended for partners, providers, and stakeholders who support children, young people, and families across the county.