Date published: 2026-02-04 | Category: Children's Services, Delivering for local residents, Focusing on prevention
Bath & North East Somerset Council is set to fund home alterations for foster carers to enable more children to be cared for in homes with local foster carers.
Councillors are being asked to invest £500,000 in the innovative scheme to help local foster carers adapt their homes so they can provide stable, nurturing spaces for local children who need them. The proposal also supports the council’s commitment on prevention and early intervention.
Currently, a number of children are living in residential children’s homes rather than in foster care. To address this, the council is proposing to fund home extensions or alterations for existing foster carers whose housing limitations prevent them from caring for more children
A report before the council’s cabinet, which meets on February 12, highlights the vital role foster carers play in supporting children who need safety, continuity and a sense of belonging.
It says home adaptations would enable foster carers to offer the right environment, whether that means creating an additional bedroom so siblings can stay together, providing privacy and independence for teenagers, or making changes to support children with disabilities or complex needs.
Councillor Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “Our foster carers open their homes and their hearts to children who need safety, stability and love. By helping them make essential home alterations, we are removing practical barriers that can prevent a child from being placed locally or staying with their brothers and sisters. This not only provides better outcomes for our vulnerable children but also in the long term helps save money. Foster care provides much better value for money and supports our commitment to focusing on prevention and early intervention for eveyone’s benefit.
“This is an innovative approach which will help improve the lives of children and young people and support our foster families and for reassurance within the scheme we have conditions that protect the council from financial risk.”
Similar home‑improvement schemes adopted by other councils have shown clear benefits, including stronger foster‑carer retention, more local placements, and fewer placement breakdowns.
Councils that have invested in making family homes more suitable have reported greater willingness from carers to look after sibling groups and increased confidence in supporting children with more complex needs. These results indicate that practical support of this type creates better experiences for children and reduces the long‑term costs associated with placing children outside the area or in residential care.
The report will be considered by cabinet on 12 February which is also meeting to discuss the council’s 2026-2027 budget where a commitment is being made towards prevention and early intervention, acting sooner to improve outcomes and reduce long‑term costs. This includes investment in Children’s Service. Both reports can be found here. Council meetings can be viewed on the council’s YouTube channel.