Keeping children and young people safe from harm
The Council plays a pivotal role in keeping children and young people safe from harm in every area of their lives to create secure environments where they can thrive. Working closely with our partners, we provide early help and intervention to protect children, prevent harm, and strengthen family life. Our shared approach ensures families receive the right support at the right time, while also ensuring children and young people can remain with their families whenever possible. By focusing on early intervention and partnership, we are committed to building a safer Rotherham where every child feels safe, secure and supported.
The differences you will see:
Provide five new children’s residential homes to make sure children in care and care leavers can stay in the borough
Continuing to enhance, expand, and invest in our children’s residential services is a priority for the Council. We will expand our existing estate, opening a further five new children’s residential homes, and taking steps to increase the number of foster carers. This will support children and young people in our care to remain in their communities, as well as help them to maintain links with their friends, see those who are important to them, and provide consistent access to education and health services. Investing in our own residential care services ensures that we have greater influence in the care that our children receive.
Strengthened safeguarding arrangements, particularly addressing harms outside the home
The proposed Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill aims to strengthen safeguarding arrangements, particularly addressing harm outside the home, and measures to better identify and support children experiencing exploitation or missing education. Harm outside the home occurs outside the family context, it could be in schools, community settings or online, through interactions with peers and adults outside the family. Working with partners and through the delivery of Our Children Exploitation Strategy, we will continue to minimise the risks posed to our children and young people whilst preparing to meet the requirements of the new legislation.
Further support to families to build their resilience and help reduce hardship
We know that many factors such as the increasing cost-of-living are making it difficult for some families to provide enough of the things their children need. We will help to address the root causes of poverty and reduce the impact of deprivation for children, young people and families through the introduction of a new ‘No family left behind, Rotherham’s commitment to addressing child poverty’ Strategy.
