CHILD refugees are being fostered in Blaenau Gwent, as the council strives to bring more of the youngsters in their care closer to “home.”

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s People scrutiny committee on Tuesday, September 24, councillors received the director of Social Services annual report for 2023/2024.

The report was written by interim director of social services Tanya Evans, who left the council earlier this year and it gives an in depth look on how the department functioned during the year.

The report shows that the council had assumed “responsibility” for eight “Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children” (UASC) last year which is up from seven in 2022/2023.

The youngsters are under the council’s wing as part of the UK Government’s National Transfer Scheme (NTS) which expects all local authorities to “play their part” and accept transfers of children into their care.

The report explains that: “There are no independent placement options for these children which means we are relying on Internal Fostering Agency placements."

The report said that the UASC were living “considerably out of county” at placements in Birmingham, Nottingham, and London.

Opposition Independent group Cllr Gareth Alban Davies said: “I welcome the fact that we are taking responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children more frequently.

“Do we receive grant funding from central government or Cardiff to pay for the placements.”

“I just wonder why we were taking them when we had to place them outside the borough.”

Children’s services manager Loredana Moruz said: “We receive a specific amount of money from the Home Office which is playing for these children’s placements.

“Accepting the children is part of our statutory duties they become our children looked after so it’s not really negotiable in terms of numbers.

“It’s our duty to accommodate them.

“Now we’ve had children in placements for a few years we are learning in terms of long term planning we need them to be closer to home (Blaenau Gwent).”

“We are looking into closer accommodation, and we actually have two children in foster care in Blaenau Gwent.”

Ms Moruz added that the council is also looking at “options” to allow older UASC to live independently in Blaenau Gwent – which is “much better” for the council to support them as they grow up on a “long term basis.”

The report was noted by councillors and will go on to be ratified in a full council meeting tomorrow, Thursday, September 26.