Barking and Dagenham Council has approved a new four-year strategy focused on helping children and young people in care feel safe, supported and able to thrive.
The Looked After Children Sufficiency Strategy 2026-2030 sets out how the council will strengthen support for families, increase access to high-quality local care and develop more specialist support for children and young people with complex needs.
At the heart of the strategy is a commitment to help every child in the council’s care “Belong, Matter and Succeed.” This means supporting children to feel safe and connected, ensuring their voices are heard and acted upon, and giving them the opportunities they need to achieve their ambitions.
The strategy takes a whole-family approach, with a strong focus on providing help earlier and supporting families to stay together wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
For children who need to be in care, the council will focus on providing stable, high-quality support that reflects each child’s individual needs and helps them remain connected to their families, schools and communities wherever possible. The strategy is also underpinned by the borough’s investment in expanding local children’s home provision and its role as a national pilot for Reset, ensuring stronger, more specialist support close to home for children with complex needs.
Key priorities include:
- Strengthening early help and family support
- Developing more high‑quality local care options
- Growing and strengthening the council’s fostering offer
- Expanding specialist support for children with complex needs
- Improving respite and short-break support for children and families
- Continuing to strengthen support for young people as they prepare for adulthood
The strategy has also been shaped by the experiences of children and young people. Their feedback highlighted the importance of feeling safe and listened to, having stable support and positive relationships, and ensuring their culture and identity are understood.
Councillor Jane Jones, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Education & Schools, said: “Every child deserves to feel safe, valued and supported by people who believe in them and their future. This strategy is about making sure children and families receive the right support at the right time, while continuing to strengthen the quality and range of care available locally. By investing in early support, strengthening fostering and developing more specialist local provision, we want to give children greater stability and help them remain connected to the people and communities that matter to them. Our ambition is simple: every child in our care should know that they belong, that they matter and that we will support them to succeed.”
The strategy will be reviewed regularly to ensure the council continues to respond to changing needs and improve support for children, young people and families.