£1 million worth of Department for Education funding has been granted to Sutton and five other South London boroughs to support children in care.

The money will aim to improve the access to quality residential care and also provide fostering placements for children in care of local councils.

Councillor Wendy Mathys, Chair of Sutton Council’s Children, Family and Education Committee, said: “We’re delighted the DfE have seen the benefits of our proposals and now we can develop a blueprint that is scalable and beneficial to any other local authorities across the country who may want to follow our lead.”