Council wants private firm to run children’s home

9:00am Monday 29th October 2012 in News

A SEARCH is to start for a firm to run children’s home beds in York after council bosses said outsourcing the service would save £200,000.

The move will see Wenlock Terrace, the only City of York Council-operated children’s home in the city, being transferred to an outside organisation.

The company would also be in charge of providing additional beds which are currently obtained from a range of external care providers.

The council has vowed Wenlock Terrace will not close and the quality of care will not be affected.

A tendering process will now be carried out.

Meanwhile, the council’s cabinet is to be asked to approve spending £248,000 on refurbishing a property which the authority owns in Nursery Drive so it can become a base for contact between looked-after children and their parents.

The plans were given the backing of Coun Janet Looker, cabinet member for education, children and young people’s services.

The authority said the move will save money in the long run by preventing the contact service having to be split between separate sites across the city, with £190,000 of the overall cost funded through borrowing.

Comments(9)

amike says...
9:12am Mon 29 Oct 12

It would seem that Mr Dwyer, Director of Adult, Children and Educations services has a wish to privitise as much as possible judging by his previous track record!!

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bar_wench says...
3:28pm Mon 29 Oct 12

"The council has vowed Wenlock Terrace will not close and the quality of care will not be affected"

Are you kidding me? The kids that are there are a ffing nightmare! I used to work across the road from the home and I was hassled and had abuse shouted at me especially when I was pregnant. Council run or privately run it makes no difference the kids are just going to be left to run wild

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The Junkyard Angel says...
3:41pm Mon 29 Oct 12

Another service gone to the private sector. I knew a friend who used to work there, a great professional and they said the Council service was second to none.

Just wait Mr Dwyer when the private firm starts sending the bills in. Poor York taxpayers!! Poor kids. Hang your head in shame....

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old_geezer says...
6:23pm Mon 29 Oct 12

So somebody else could save £200,000 pa? Aside from the fact that notional savings are often not achieved, that often involves new people on poorer wages and conditions, who are brought in to replace long-serving staff with experience and commitment.

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bob the builder says...
6:37pm Mon 29 Oct 12

Just when it seems more child protection measures are needed, the council wants to outsource vulnerable children!

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only human says...
7:16pm Mon 29 Oct 12

May i suggest the decision makers watch tonights Panorama to get a reminder of how private companies operating for profit adopt low pay and less robust staff policing procedures and the results are devastating for those on the receiving end.
when will we ever learn that some social services are best run under local authority control.
This makes them more accountable to both service users and employees and the knock on effect to the nhs and the taxpayer is minimised.
sometimes the answer just isnt cost cutting............

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jgycfc says...
11:18pm Mon 29 Oct 12

A Labour-run council privatising public services? For real? James Alexander - Thatcher wants her ideas back...

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York1900 says...
5:34am Tue 30 Oct 12

It seems that the Council or government want no control of any thing the best laugh of all of this that these private firms never do the job at the price they agree they all ways have clauses in the contract that mean they can come back for more money



.

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yorkborn66 says...
4:31pm Tue 30 Oct 12

only human wrote:
May i suggest the decision makers watch tonights Panorama to get a reminder of how private companies operating for profit adopt low pay and less robust staff policing procedures and the results are devastating for those on the receiving end.
when will we ever learn that some social services are best run under local authority control.
This makes them more accountable to both service users and employees and the knock on effect to the nhs and the taxpayer is minimised.
sometimes the answer just isnt cost cutting............
well said , cannot agree more !

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