An insight has been given into how much Bracknell Forest Council spends on helping the young people it supports mature into adulthood.
Bracknell Forest outlines cost of helping young people move into adult care
An insight has been given into how much Bracknell Forest Council spends on helping the young people it supports mature into adulthood. The council has a statutory duty to safeguard and look after children and organise care for adults with disabilities, and providing social care is one of its biggest expenses.
For the first time in years the council will receive a multi-year funding settlement from the Labour government. Over three years it will get £900 million of grant funding for adult social care services – £150 million in 2026/27, £250 million in 2027/28 and £500 million in 2028/29.
Separately, the council will receive £866 million for children’s social care reform across the same three years: £330 million in 2026/27, £330 million in 2027/28 and £206 million in 2028/29.
How that money will be managed is a key part of discussions ahead of the council’s budget setting for 2026/27.
The council will be assisting with the transition of 65 people from children’s care to adult care services. As adults at 18, they may refuse social services involvement in their lives if they have the capacity to do so. The topic was raised at a meeting of the council’s overview & scrutiny commission.
Councillor Megan Wright (Labour, Town Centre & The Parks), the cabinet member for adults and public health, said:
“It’s quite hard to know how many of those are going to require services as an adult.
“Some of them might stay on an education provision, some of them might refuse services if they have the capacity to refuse them.
“So you’ve got this very uncertain environment.
“Out of the 65 children, they [the council’s social services department] estimate that 60 per cent of them will require services in adulthood.
“We also have the issue that some children transitioning last year those costs aren’t coming through until this year. We’ve got 14 children in that situation.
“So this coming financial year, compared to the previous financial year, we’re seeing an increase of 65 per cent for the number of children transitioning from children’s services to adult services.”
The transition from children’s to adult social care costs the council hundreds of thousands of pounds per year. Financial officers have revised down the projected spend in 2026/27 from £750,000 to £675,000 – a reduction of £75,000.
The amount spent varies depending on the level of care a person requires. Cllr Wright added: “The projected cost range of each of those individual children ranges from £110,000 per year to £555 per year.
“So it gives you an idea of what the different packages could be for those children.”
She said demand risks can be mitigated because a dedicated staff member has been appointed to manage transitions. Her answer followed a question from Cllr Mike Forster (Liberal Democrats, Sandhurst) on how demand risks will be managed.
Labour cabinet members were questioned on the 2026/27 budget at the meeting on Thursday, January 8. You can respond to the council’s budget consultation online; it closes on Tuesday, January 27.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
