Council praised for good practice in supporting children in care

The City of Wolverhampton Council has been praised nationally for its efforts to keep children in care close to their families, schools and communities.

The Good Practice Report from Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, highlights Wolverhampton as one of the councils bucking national trends, with fewer children being placed far from home compared to the national average.

The report also praises Wolverhampton for several other areas of good practice, including reducing the number of children in care, with Become noting the council is among a small group which have achieved a reduction of 10% or more in their care population between 2020 and 2024, despite rising numbers nationally.

It found that Wolverhampton is leading the way enabling children and young people to move from children’s homes to family-based care, such as with foster families, with fewer than 5% of children in the city now living in a children’s home, much lower than the national average.

The council is also commended for its use of short breaks provision which is helping to prevent children from entering care unnecessarily, supporting foster families, and avoiding disruptive emergency moves that often result in children being placed far from home.

And the report praises the council for 'knowing its children'. Wolverhampton was recognised for its proactive approach to monitoring children’s progress in care, ensuring that needs are identified early and that moves are well-planned, reducing the risk of breakdowns and long-distance placements.

These measures have helped the council keep more children close to the people and places that matter most to them, strengthening stability and wellbeing.

Councillor Jacqui Coogan, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: "We are proud that Wolverhampton has been recognised in this national report for the work we are doing to keep our children in care close to their families, schools and communities.

"Every child deserves stability, love and the chance to thrive in familiar surroundings, and by investing in early help, supporting our foster carers, and making sure we really know and understand the needs of our children, we are reducing the need for long-distance moves and giving our young people the best possible start in life.

“This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our staff, carers and partners who work tirelessly to put children first, and demonstrates how local innovation and commitment can make a real difference in children’s lives."

The report, published today and available at https://becomecharity.org.uk/content/uploads/2025/11/Good-practice-report-by-Become-2025.pdf, comes as part of Become’s Gone Too Far campaign, which calls for urgent national action to reduce the number of children in care being placed far from home.