Complex Needs Open Children's Homes Capital Investment
This grant provides local authorities with capital match funding to create additional beds for children with complex needs and challenging behaviour, recognised to be a response to complex and ongoing trauma. Please note that we have not set a maximum or minimum amount that authorities can bid for, but we would like to see you articulate how the amount you have bid for demonstrates value for money.
- Opening date: (Midnight)
- Closing date: (Midnight)
Contents
Summary
To ensure that the system is able to provide a safe home for these vulnerable children, the Government has committed capital investment funding to be available to local authorities to create additional Open Children's Homes placements for children with multiple, complex needs, recognised to be a response to complex and ongoing trauma, who have been, or are at risk of being, deprived of their liberty.
The Department will aim to support projects which create additional provision for this cohort of children by:
Extending or adapting existing provision to provide additional capacity i.e. an annex or pod.
Refurbishing a current local authority owned asset that is not currently being used as a children’s home.
Purchasing or building a new property/asset.
The Department would also like to see projects which, when designed as multiple occupancy i.e. not solo provision, provide communal living arrangements in the typical style of an open children’s home but can also be adapted to provide self-contained solo provision when required, in order to maximise occupancy levels.
All provision must be capable of being operated as an Ofsted-registered children’s home, with health partners working together with local authorities to deliver suitable packages of care and plans to support young people back into their community/ mainstream provision where appropriate.
Please note: we have not set a maximum or minimum amount that authorities can bid for, but we would like to see you articulate how the amount you have bid for demonstrates value for money.
Eligibility
This bidding round is open to all local authorities, either bidding alone, as part of a consortium of local authorities, or in partnership with the voluntary and community sector/ private sector providers.
In the case of consortia bids, the lead bidder must be a single local authority, and all capital assets created as part of this funding must remain in the ownership of the lead authority. The local authority/ consortium members will be solely responsible for all one off and ongoing maintenance and running costs for the asset - these costs are out of scope of this capital programme and will not be provided.
The Department will perform necessary checks as part of the bidding process to confirm local authority financial stability and may reject bids if this is found to not be the case.
Objectives
This funding will be available to LAs to help create accommodation which will:
Ensure that there is sufficient provision in the right places for children with complex needs.
Ensure local health and social care teams work together to provide care which meets all of a child’s needs.
Reduce the number of children and young people with complex needs and behaviours being accommodated in unregistered provision.
Dates
5th Nov 2024 - Programme launch
28th Feb 2025 - Deadline for all applicationsFrom
24th April 2025 - Notify applicants of outcome
May 2025 - Grant letters issued to successful bidders
31st March 2029 - DfE funding ends
How to apply
As part of the launch of this competition, Department for Education officials have sent a launch email to all Directors for Children's Services, as well as through regular distribution channels. The launch email contains a bid pack, consisting of a guidance document, an application form, a risk register document, and a frequently asked questions document.
Local authorities who wish to submit a bid to the Department should send their completed application form to ComplexNeeds.CAPITAL-INVESTMENT@EDUCATION.GOV.UK by 11:59pm on 28 February 2025. If you have not received the launch email/ bid pack, please contact the above mailbox.