Looked After Children Spending - Find a freedom of information request
Request
How many looked after children under 18 was the authority responsible for at financial year end, 2018/19?
How many of these were accommodated in residential facilities within the authority?
How many of these were accommodated in residential facilities outside the authority?
What was the average weekly cost of accommodating these children outside the authority?
What was the average weekly cost of accommodating these children inside the authority?
What was the total annual spend on accommodating looked after children in residential facilities, inside and outside the authority?
Decision
The Local Authority was responsible for 614 Looked After Children at the end of March 2019.
26 were accommodated within the Local Authority's in-house provision across four LA maintained homes (incl. a 'child with disability' specific home)
21 were accommodated within independent residential care home placements (i.e. outside of the Local Authority's in-house provision)
£4,527 was the average weekly cost for Independent Care Home placements (i.e. outside the Local Authority's in-house provision) in 2018/19
£2210k was the average weekly cost children placed within the Local Authority's in-house provision 2018/19
c. 7.6 m was the total combined annual spend for accommodating Looked After Children in 2018/19, in the Council's in-house provision of residential children's homes and independent residential care homes.
