CASH-STRAPPED council chiefs have agreed to implement a series of measures to reduce the number of looked-after children in Torfaen.

Torfaen council spent around £37m on almost 300 looked-after children this financial year, figures show.

Council public service development manager, Mark Sharwood, told Torfaen Cabinet today: “That represents quite a big cost to the organisation, not only in terms of money but in terms of staff time and of course the impact on those individuals themselves.”

Torfaen council expects to save £423,000 to put in place five key measures, but also save up to £1.6m in the next three years as a result.

The move is expected to reduce the number of looked-after children by 42 and avoid four out of county placements.

The local authority is to invest £90,000 to stop high risk children coming into care in the first place.

Around £120,000 is to be spent on giving extra psychological support and about £135,000 to promote “meaningful relationships”.

Another £51,000 is to be used to carry out a review of looked-after children on care orders, and £27,000 on reviewing and developing parent and baby placements.

Mr Sharwood said the plans had been thought up because of the “resource constraints” the council faces over the coming years and to manage the demand for its services.

He said that looked-after children cost around £125,000 a year and Torfaen council had 295 such young people this year, meaning the overall cost is around £37m.

Cabinet member for health, social care and wellbeing, Richard Clark, said: “This is not reducing the cost at the expense of looked-after children.

“We’re not shaving off budgets and cutting issues for those at need and I think this is important to be understood.”

Torfaen Cabinet agreed to put in place the measures at a council meeting at Pontypool Civic Centre today.