Growing pressure on services as number of children in care doubles

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

The cost of placing looked-after children in residential homes has doubled in just 12 months.

Placements for the most complex children and young people can be more than £10,000 per week and on rare occasions greatly exceed that, the council’s director of social services Darren Mutter said in his first annual report.

A graph in the report said it cost £422,175 in April 2025 for residential placements and what’s known as supported living placements for 16 young people mostly aged under 18. By March this year there were 29 young people in this category and the cost had soared to £848,340.

The number of looked-after young people and the number of those on the child protection register have also doubled – to 293 and 169 respectively – but in five years rather than one.

Mr Mutter’s report said the increase reflected a national trend driven by growing demand and complexity of cases and that Carmarthenshire still has the lowest ratio of children in care per head of population in Wales.

The 81-page report covered a range of work carried out by adult and children’s care teams in 2025-26 and a flavour of how it made people’s lives better.

Grateful for support 

A relative and carer of a person with Parkinson’s disease said the help she received enabled her to carry on working as a lunchtime supervisor at a primary school and a cleaner at a secondary school.

“Work for me is a release,” said the carer. “If you have a bad day, especially with the dementia side of things, you have that bit of independence and you’re back being yourself.”

Another person was grateful the support enabling their mother to continue living at home. “Few people reach 103 and fewer of them in their own home,” the person said. “It would have been impossible without the package of support coordinated by yourselves.”

And a parent helped by a children’s care worker said: “Just wanted to say thank you, you have been my anchor when I’ve needed you and I’ll forever be thankful for you and the opportunities you’ve given me and my children.”

Mr Mutter’s report, which was discussed briefly at a cabinet meeting on July 27, said there were 3,301 adults and 929 children and young people on a care and support plan in the county on March 31 this year.

Providing this statutory safety net is expensive. Carmarthenshire’s population is ageing and funding these services is partly why council tax has gone up.

The children’s and family services budget was £44.7m in 2025-26 while the adult social services budget was £138.5m. More than a third of the adult budget – £50.4m – was to support people under 65 with learning disabilities.

Director role 

Mr Mutter, who wasn’t present at the cabinet meeting, wrote the report six months into his new director role.

“Having worked in social care for 30 years, with 26 of those as a qualified social worker in children’s services, I have never seen pressures as acute as they have been for the last few years,” his report said. “And yet still our staff turn up, day in day out and provide compassionate, empathetic care with a level of dedication and resilience that is humbling and inspiring in equal measure.”

Adult social services received 152 compliments in 2025-26 and 62 complaints. Seven of these complaints were looked at by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales: five were declined and two addressed via early resolution.

The children and families department received 10 compliments and 70 complaints. Sixteen complaints went to the ombudsman: eight were declined, four resolved early, three are still ongoing, and one was accepted and upheld.

The council is bringing on new workers via its Care Academi although it will be reviewed this financial year. In addition the council is helping people studying Open University and master’s social work courses with 34 expected to qualify as social workers over the next 12 months.

The council is looking to open a new care and nursing home called Plas Y Bryn at Cwmgwili, near Ammanford, in 2028. It’s opened a children’s residential home in Johnstown, Carmarthen, and is planning another one for children in Llanelli.

Cabinet members approved the report, which will go before full council in September, and thanked staff for their work.

Council leader Linda Evans said of the report: “It has been very well written, it’s clear, and there a lot of positive things but we also know how difficult it is for this sector.”

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