The opening of two council-managed children’s homes in Southampton is now expected to take place next year – with plans progressing on a third.

Southampton City Council is investing in properties to deliver residential care schemes to meet the needs of children who cannot live with their own families.

Executive director for community wellbeing, children and learning Robert Henderson said the delivery of the children’s homes was a complex process but it was an “absolute priority”.

Mr Henderson told members of the council’s children and families scrutiny panel the current target was for the first home to open in March next year.

The four-bedded unit, with an additional two bedrooms for staff, will house children with special educational needs and disabilities, emotional and mental health issues, as well as social care issues.

Councillors were told this would be a short-term facility that will assess each child’s need and put in intensive intervention with the aim of the child going back into their family or kinship environment with the appropriate support.

If this is not possible, the council will look to secure a long-term foster placement that meets their needs.

The second children’s home, which is earmarked to open in May 2025, will be a long-term residence for up to four adolescent young people where the council feels foster care is not a good option or a suitable foster placement cannot be found.

Mr Henderson said a bid had been made on a third site, which was part of the original business case.

This property, which is now going through various council processes, could open as a children’s home in April 2026.

The work on children’s homes is being carried out in partnership with the local authority’s health partners at the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board.

Scrutiny panel chair Cllr Amanda Barnes-Andrews said the children’s homes had been in the pipeline for some time.

At the meeting on Thursday, November 28, she asked what had caused any delays.

Mr Henderson said identifying suitable properties was difficult.

There had to be a significant risk assessment carried out, including the need for a safe neighbourhood and access to schools, Mr Henderson said.

He added that the council had to work with police and probation over any risks in the community.

Councillors were told that after finding the properties, it had taken time to go through various levels of internal checks and due diligence.

Mr Henderson said: “I think we probably have learned quite a lot about working as a collective in terms of that due diligence rather than operating potentially more in silos, which we were in the beginning.

“We are more of a collective around the urgency, the priority of this.

“From the council’s improvement board there is a very clear message, and from executive management board, the children’s homes delivery is an absolute priority, so all the executive directors have given that very clear message to their teams that this needs to happen as swiftly as possible.”