Powys in-house fostering share rises as private placements fall

Powys County Council says the share of fostering placements provided in-house has risen from 54% to 63% over the past year, as it expands care provision closer to children’s home communities. Its update, published on 14 October, also records fewer children placed with for-profit providers: 51 in September 2026, compared with 56 in September 2025. That is a reduction of five, rather than the end of private provision.

What is operating now

The council reports five of its own children’s homes operating across Powys, providing 13 bed spaces. It also commissions 25 supported accommodation places for care leavers through a not-for-profit service. The fostering percentage concerns in-house fostering placements. It does not mean 63% of all children looked after by Powys live in council-run homes.

Further places are planned

Plans are progressing for eight more bed spaces in additional in-house accommodation for young people aged 16 and over. A renovated residential home in Brecon is expected to provide two additional specialist disability placements. Those future places are separate from the capacity already operating. The announcement does not give opening dates for the planned places.

Scrutiny on Friday

The council says its Health and Care Scrutiny Committee will consider the progress report on Friday 16 October. Powys is also preparing its first Annual Sufficiency Plan for submission to the Welsh Government by December 2026. That plan is intended to set out current and future placement needs and how the council will secure enough local, not-for-profit provision. The update gives aggregate service figures, rather than information about individual children or families.