Portsmouth City Council wants every child in care and every care leaver to live in a safe, stable and nurturing home that meets their needs.
Our Placement Sufficiency Strategy for Children in Care and Care Leavers 2024 – 2027 explains how we will make sure there are enough high-quality homes and accommodation options for children in care and care leavers.
This includes foster care, kinship care, children’s homes, supported lodgings, Staying Put, Staying Close and other accommodation options that help young people move into adulthood successfully.
What the strategy is about
The strategy explains how we will provide the right homes, in the right places, with the right support. Wherever possible, we want children to remain safely with their families. When this is not possible, we want children to live with people they know, with foster carers, or in other local homes that help them stay connected to their schools, families, friends and communities.
For care experienced young adults, the strategy focuses on increasing safe and suitable accommodation options as they move into adulthood.
Our priorities
Over the next three years we will:
- Support more children to live safely with their parents, wider family or kinship carers
- Recruit, support and retain more Portsmouth foster carers
- Increase local homes for children with different needs
- Reduce reliance on external or high-cost placements where local options would better meet children’s needs
- Develop more supported lodgings and accommodation options for older children and care experienced young adults
- Listen to children, young people and care experienced adults about what matters to them
Why this matters
Children and young people tell us that they want to feel safe, settled, listened to and connected to the people and places that are important to them. Good homes and stable relationships help children to thrive, build confidence and prepare for the future.
This strategy supports Portsmouth’s commitment to being a good corporate parent and making sure children in care and care experienced young adults have the best possible opportunities.
Read the strategy
You can read the full Portsmouth Placement Sufficiency Strategy for Children in Care and Care Leavers 2024 – 2027.