Plans to build nine residential homes for young people in Glasgow have been approved.

Valued at £7.967m, the plan will increase the capacity within the residential homes estate from the current number of 113 beds to 135 beds by March 2013.

A major part of the programme is to close eight existing units over the next four years. These are homes are already unsuitable or likely to become unsuitable for the effective provision of quality care. Some of the existing homes could also yield significant receipts for the Glasgow City Council if sold.

The major drive behind the programme is the fact that Glasgow has to send increasing numbers of young people to homes out with the city.

It can also be significantly more expensive to place a young person in a specialist home away from Glasgow compared to accommodating them in a care centre within the city.

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Councillor Archie Graham, Executive Member for Social Care Services, proposed the plan before members of the Executive Committee.

He said: "As councillors we are all corporate parents and we all have a responsibility to look after the young people in our care. We are therefore pursuing a policy of new build units in regeneration areas. We need to look after our children, all of our children, properly."

The plan at this stage is to place new care centres on regenerations sites, where they can be built as part of new housing developments as they are being built. Care centres are already being lined-up for east, north and south west of the city, where there is the greatest need for additional places. This is to ensure as even a spread of homes across the city as far as possible.

Work will also be undertaken to build better relationships between care centres and local communities. This work will centre on seeking to improve understanding of the needs of young people in the care of the Council while also helping the young people to improve their ability to engage effectively and appropriately with their local community.

The reconfiguration of the children's residential estate will also see the creation of a specialist unit for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

No beds will be lost at any point during the reconfiguration programme.

(GK/JM)