Transforming young lives
Powys County Council said it has made significant progress in expanding its fostering, residential care and supported accommodation services, providing more opportunities for children and young people to receive the care and support they need within their local communities.
The improvements are helping to provide greater stability for children and young people, maintain important family and community connections, and reduce the council's reliance on costly external care placements.
A report outlining this progress will be considered by the council's Health and Care Scrutiny Committee tomorrow (Friday).
The report also highlights the council's work to meet the requirements of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025, which is introducing a phased move towards not-for-profit care provision for children looked after in Wales.
The legislation aims to ensure that public money spent on children's care is reinvested in delivering high-quality services rather than generating private profit.
Progress made by the council includes:
More local children's homes: Five council-run children's homes are now operating across Powys, providing 13 places for children and young people.
More children living with local foster carers: The proportion of children placed with Powys foster carers has increased from 54% to 63% over the past year.
Reduced reliance on for-profit providers: The number of children placed with for-profit care providers has fallen from 56 in September 2025 to 51 in September 2026.
Greater support for care leavers: A commissioned not-for-profit service is providing 25 supported accommodation places for young people leaving care.
Further accommodation planned: Work is progressing to develop eight additional places through council-run accommodation for young people aged 16 and over.
More specialist care closer to home: A renovated residential home in Brecon will provide two additional specialist placements for children with disabilities, helping more children receive care within Powys.
Councillor Sandra Davies, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for Future Generations, said: “Every child and young person deserves to feel safe, supported and cared for in a stable and nurturing environment.
“We are making excellent progress in strengthening our local care services so that more children and young people can remain close to their families, friends, schools and the communities they know.
“Being able to stay closer to home can make a huge difference to a child's wellbeing, education and future opportunities. It also means we can invest more of our resources directly into the services and support that children and young people need.
“While there is more work to do, these improvements demonstrate our commitment to providing high-quality, locally based care that puts children and young people first.
“We will continue working with our partners across Wales to develop sustainable, not-for-profit care services that deliver the best possible outcomes for children and young people in Powys.”
As part of this ongoing work, the council is preparing its first Annual Sufficiency Plan, which will be submitted to the Welsh Government by December 2026.
The plan will identify current and future care placement needs and outline how the council intends to ensure enough high-quality, local, not-for-profit placements are available.
It will also set out the steps being taken to further reduce reliance on for-profit providers while ensuring children and young people can access the right care and support when they need it.
Could you make a difference to a child's life?
Powys County Council is encouraging more people to consider becoming foster carers and helping children and young people remain connected to their local communities.
To find out more about fostering in Powys:
· Call 0800 22 30 627
· Email fostering@powys.gov.uk
· Visit https://powys.fosterwales.gov.wales/
PICTURE: A Powys foster family. Picture: Foster Wales
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