Following a review of the ownership contract of CSW Group, the four owners (Cornwall Council, Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, and us) have reluctantly concluded that the company’s funding and operational position has changed such that the company is no longer viable.

As such, the cabinet committees of each authority have agreed that a new approach must be taken that ensures there is minimal impact on the young people who use the education and employment support services provided by CSW.

All owner authorities are also committed to retaining the company’s significant expertise, which for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay means reintegrating CSW Group staff ‘in-house’. Cornwall will take the same approach and/or commission an expert provider to take them on.   

Whilst clearly a difficult moment of change for staff, owners and customers, we believe that now is the right time to make this change if the expertise and high-quality service that has benefitted the Peninsula for the past 30 years is to be preserved.  

We would like to thank the staff of CSW Group for their commitment and dedication to supporting young people for three decades and will work with them to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Detailed planning is already under way to coordinate the final transition of CSW Group’s operations on April 1, 2025. 

Owners and management will be seeking to work closely in support of wider staff members and customers who are not to be part of the transfer process, helping them to find new opportunities within the peninsula where appropriate.”

The aim is for CSW Group to close by end of June 2025.