The Department for Education has awarded up to £680,000 in 2026/27 and £1.026million in 2027/28 to create a new West Midlands Regional Care Cooperative.

The new partnership will bring together 14 councils across the West Midlands, as well as health services, police and youth justice partners. They will work together to make sure children and young people get the support they need, when they need it.

The Regional Care Cooperative is part of the Government’s plans to improve children’s social care. It will help councils work together to find the right homes and support for children in care.

Over 11,500 children and young people are currently in care across the West Midlands, with many councils facing challenges finding the right homes and meeting the growing needs of children and families.

The new partnership will help create more local support for children, improve fostering and children’s home provision, and make it easier to plan services across the region.

It will also help more children stay close to their families, friends, schools and communities whenever possible.

Councillor Jacqui Coogan, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “We are delighted that the West Midlands has received this funding, which offers a great chance for councils and partners to work more closely together to support children and young people in care.

“By working as one region, we can improve the support available, help children find stable homes, and create more local opportunities for care.

“Most importantly, we want children to stay close to the people and places that are important to them and help them achieve the best possible future.”

The partnership includes Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The Regional Care Cooperative will build on successful work already taking place across the West Midlands to improve the lives of children and young people in care, with the next stage of the process focusing on building the new partnership, improving planning and data sharing, working more closely with foster parents and care providers, and making sure services can meet future demand.