Vulnerable children from Stoke-on-Trent will soon be placed in a brand new £71 million 'safe centre' in Birmingham.

Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council have agreed to participate in the scheme to create a 20-bed secure children's home for youngsters across the West Midlands who require secure placements.

The project is being funded by the Department for Education, and a special purpose vehicle will be set up to manage the facility on behalf of 14 local authorities, including Stoke-on-Trent.

A report setting out the details of the scheme was considered by cabinet members during a closed session on Tuesday, due to it including 'commercially sensitive information'.

But council leader Jane Ashworth said the city council's involvement would mean better outcomes for children in care, while also being a cost-effective solution.

She told the cabinet meeting that up to 50 children in Stoke-on-Trent could be waiting for a place in a secure children's home at any one time.

Cllr Ashworth said: "The safe centre will be designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children aged about 10 to 17 who require secure placements.

"It will provide trauma-informed integrated care, education and health services in a purpose-built facility in Birmingham. We don't have such a facility in our region.

"The project is funded by the Department for Education, with £71 million allocated to support construction and delivery. This reflects the strategic importance on a national level of having more secure welfare capacity and providing better outcomes for these children.

"This secure centre provides us in Stoke-on-Trent with most definite advantages. It gives us access to secure places at a preferential rate below market costs

"Over recent years we've had between 12 and 32 children per year who have met the criteria for needing secure welfare placements. At any one time, there could be up to 50 children waiting for a secure children's home bed.

"Our participation will ensure that our children who are struggling the most have access to the specialist support they require. It will help us improve outcomes for these children while making sense on a financial basis."

Children's social care has been a major area of financial pressure for the city council in recent years, due to the high number of youngsters in care and the excessive cost of private sector placements.

At the end of September, the number of children in care in Stoke-on-Trent stood at 1,120, up from 1,094 in June. The projected overspend on children's placements increased from £7.9 million to £12.8 million.