A NEW home will be developed by Ceredigion County Council to allow children and young people who require care and support to remain in the county.

Currently, there is no registered residential provision for children and young people in Ceredigion and, as a result, children who require such support are placed in care facilities outside of the county and, in some instances, outside of Wales.

During a Cabinet meeting held virtually on 7 December, it was approved that a “small residential home will be established in mid Ceredigion with skilled and trained staff to provide quality care 24/7.”

The council said a “strategy will also be developed to consider similar options in other locations across the county and this will form part of a wider regional initiative.”

“Since the pandemic, Ceredigion County Council, along with many other local authorities in Wales, has seen a significant increase in the number of families requiring support and the number of children and young people requiring care,” the council said.

“With this rise and the UK wide shortage of foster and residential placements, it has become increasingly difficult to locate suitable placements for children and young people.”

Cabinet member Cllr Alun Williams said: “The well-being of vulnerable residents is of paramount importance in Ceredigion.

“We want to provide young people with the help they need within or close to their own community rather than see those in challenging circumstances having to move away and spend their childhood a long way from home.”