Actions for financial year 2025/26 (Note: Actions and milestones may change as part of an annual refresh).
- Action 1: Develop a clear pathway of early help services which support the journey of the child where they need to step across services through the early help redesign and the development of family hubs aimed at preventing unnecessary referrals into statutory services.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Continue to work with partners on a locality basis to embed family hubs across Devon. April 2026 Family hubs are embedded across Devon as an integral part of the early help offer to families. Families are more resilient and prevented from needing statutory services. Monthly reporting to the Family Hubs Steering Group - Action 2: Work with the provider market to develop provision which meets the need of the most complex children and young people and can adapt to individual need to promote stability.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Implement solutions identified through conversations and actively work with local providers. Review progress April 2026 Children and young people with complex needs are better served. Unregistered arrangements are eliminated. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. Monitor the impact of the new local authority in house children’s homes. Review progress April 2026 Increased options are available for children and young people preventing the need for unregistered arrangements. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 3: Work with health partners to increase the therapeutic and health related input into care packages. Jointly commission specialist provision for children leaving hospital and place of safety provision.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Monitor the progress of the process in place ensure health input into care plans is agreed and embedded from the placement inception. Monthly throughout the year. Where a health need is identified plans are jointly developed and implemented. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. A specialist provision for children leaving hospital and place of safety provision is successfully jointly commission. December 2025 and them monthly monitoring. Children and young people who are leaving hospital or a place of safety have a safe place to live whilst a longer term solutions is identified. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 4: Progress innovative solutions (already identified) for those with complex needs such as gap homes; utilising available land to create homes for complex post 16 young people; piloting emergency accommodation schemes with providers to stabilise young people; and solutions to step children across from residential to fostering with an emphasis on those under the age of 12.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Progress the gap homes project build and process for allocation of places once developed. April 2026 Increase options available to complex young people and work differently to meet their needs. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. Commission the provision of emergency accommodation based on the findings from the 2024/25 pilot. April 2026 Increase options available to complex young people and work differently to meet their needs. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. Make the Steps approach business as usual based on learning from 2024/25. Monthly tracking and monitoring. Increase options available to complex young people and work differently to meet their needs. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 5: Commission or create a sustainable and affordable care resource to enable placement stability, support children to return home, (including those with Special Guardianship Orders), and where absolutely necessary provide support to those children who are placed in unregistered provision.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Commission, or create a care provider to support children in these settings April 2026 Increase the stability of homes for children and young people across all settings. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 6: Develop individualised commissioning to look at complete packages of care including educational, health and transport needs. Ensure staff are appropriately trained to effectively understand and negotiate costs where appropriate and explore the procurement of tools to support the process.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Monitor the effectiveness of the new ways of working and report impact. Monthly Children and young people can have stability across all aspects of their life improving outcomes and permanence. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. Review the impact of the common costing framework and amended standard contract terms and conditions to ensure positive impact. Monthly Children and young people can have stability across all aspects of their life improving outcomes and permanence. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 7: Progress the ‘A Place Called Home’ workstream to increase the recruitment and retention of foster carers to ensure no net loss and to enable in house carer to accept more complex young people (with focus on the younger age ranges who are in residential care).
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Review the success of the marketing campaign to encourage expressions of interest form new foster cares. Develop a new plan for a new year. Monitor Monthly. Develop new plan by May 2026 More availability of in house fostering for all children and young people. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. Review the impact of the fostering fees and allowances. September 2026 More availability of in house fostering for all children and young people. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 8: Review and recommission the Peninsula Residential Flexible Purchase System to better meet the needs of providers and to ensure continuity and affordability across the residential market.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Progress the procurement process to create a new commissioning arrangement for independent residential care (children’s homes) arrangements. April 2026 Manage the cost of residential care, increase quality and provider engagement. Progress monitored through A Place Called Home Programme Board. - Action 9: Reduce the breakdown of adoption placements, particularly during the period of adolescence.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Monitor the implementation of strategy outcomes and KPIs to ensure breakdowns are reduced. Amend action plan where appropriate / required. Monthly Less adoption breakdowns and more support to maintain. Adopt Southwest delivery Board - Action 10: Review the availability and move through of accommodation options for young asylum seekers.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Complete the commissioning and procurement process required to create the provision required to meet identified need. April 2026 Ensure the needs of this vulnerable group a met. Monitored through the ‘A Place Called Home’ provider sufficiency workstream. - Action 11: In partnership with District Councils, review pathways and commissioned services for young people in care aged 16+, homeless young people aged 16 and 17 and care experienced young people to ensure services enable resilience, capabilities for independence and ultimately effective move on. Use evidence available to ensure the right spread of services across the County.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Monitor progress of changes made to the supported accommodation provision for care experienced young people. Monthly More young people are able to access and sustain suitable accommodation. Through the ‘Care for Me’ subgroup of the Corporate Parenting Board. Monitor and report on progress of the staying close programme. Create next steps plan for the ending or continuation of the programme. Monthly monitoring and next steps plan by September 2025 More young people are able to access and sustain suitable accommodation. Through the ‘Care for Me’ subgroup of the Corporate Parenting Board. - Action 12: Improve the transitions pathway for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Actions and activity identified within the SEND Strategy and Safety Value Plan. Review Progress April 2026 Young people experience smooth transitions from children’s to adult’s care arrangements. Through the SEND Improvement Board transitions workstream. - Action 13: Take advantage of the newly funded opportunities with the District Councils to increase the housing opportunities for care experienced young people.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Work closely with District councils to understand the need in the likely local need and ensure support is available where required. Review progress April 2026 Creation of more sustainable move on options. Through the ‘Care for Me’ subgroup of the Corporate Parenting Board. - Action 14: Work across children’s social care to support improvements to culture and practice, supporting the journey to making Devon the authority of choice for local providers.
Milestones By when Desired outcome Monitoring and progress Work with the Children’s Social Clare Senior Management Team through the Service Development Meetings to highlight the problems faced by providers and to address issues presenting. Review progress April 2026 Create more sufficiency and keep Devon’s children in Devon. Through the ‘A Place Called Home’ achieving permanence workstream.