MINISTER Edwina Hart has clashed with Swansea Council in a row over vulnerable children.

The Assembly leadership hopeful issued a statement ahead of last night's decision to enter a formal consultation process to close city children's homes Ty Gwaun and Ty Cwm, claiming a child in care had to spend the night at a motorway services cafe.

Swansea Council issued a strong rebuttal labelling the claims untrue. But Mrs Hart's office has stood by the claim, saying it was made by council social workers.

A statement from the Gower AM's office stated that a lack of emergency beds for children in the city had led to social workers being forced to find a less suitable haven for the child.

It reads: "Mrs Hart has been told that, on occasions, children who have had to be removed from their homes in an emergency have been forced to spend the night with a social worker in a motorway cafe because there has been no emergency accommodation."

A spokesman for Swansea Council has denied the claim, and challenged Mrs Hart to produce evidence.

He said: "The claim that vulnerable children in need of emergency placement have ever spent a night in a motorway cafe with a social worker is simply not true.

"It would be illegal, it has not happened and we would never contemplate doing such a thing."

"Our priority is to ensure that where vulnerable children and young people are unable to live with their families that they have a placement that is safe and suitable to their needs.

"When an emergency placement is required for a child, a social worker will first seek a placement through Foster Swansea which has dedicated emergency beds. If that's not possible the next step would be to seek a placement at the children's home at Nant y Felin, where there are two emergency beds."

A spokesman for Mrs Hart's office said the claim has been made by social workers speaking to representatives from the AM's office along with Councillor David Phillips — the Labour group's leader on Swansea Council.

Yesterday, councillors voted to close Ty Gwaun and Ty Cwm children's homes. The decision was taken as part of the council's plans to modernise and improve services in the city.

Nick Tregoning, Cabinet Member for Social Services has previously stated that there was only one child being cared for at Ty Gwaun and Ty Cwm was empty.

The statement from the health minister, who is currently in a three way race to succeed Rhodri Morgan as First Minister said that Mrs Hart was seriously concerned about Ty Gwaun and Ty Cwm — the four-bed, council-run residential facilities that had been earmarked for closure by the authority.

The press release was issued just hours before councillors were due to debate and vote on the future of the homes.

It states: "Both facilities have been largely unused for some months and according to staff this has resulted in children being placed out of the county.

"This practice is only recommended as a last resort in an emergency and is discouraged in WAG guidelines to authorities.

"This is not only detrimental to the children, but more costly for the council.

"Mrs Hart has been told that, on occasions, children who have had to be removed from their homes in an emergency have been forced to spend the night with a social worker in a motorway cafe because there has been no emergency accommodation.

"This is obviously bad for the children and likely to be more expensive than utilising these homes. Mrs Hart understands there is a review of this provision going on and is calling on the council to keep facilities in use until alternative provision becomes available."

Despite the controversy over Mrs Hart's statement, at yesterday's meeting councillors voted the close the two homes.