The number of children in care on October 30 2023 - Find a freedom of information request

1. The number of children in care on October 30 2023, and on the nearest equivalent date for which you have figures for 2021, 2019 and 2013.

2. The number of active foster carers you have whether through social services fostering services or private agencies for the same dates as above.

2i) The number of foster carers who left the service in the same years.

2ii) The number of foster carers recruited int he same years.

3. The number of children in residential care, ie children's homes, for the same dates as above, and the average cost per child per year.

4. The annual budget spent on independent fostering agencies as an overall figure and average per child for the same dates.

5. The average annual cost spent on social services-employed foster carers as an overall figure and per child for the same dates.

6. The number of children in unregulated placements for the same dates as above. Please could you break these figures into two groups if possible:

i)   aged under 16s

ii) 16 years and over

1. 

2. Number of active Lincolnshire County Council foster carer households through fostering services is as at below dates:-

•          30 October 2023 - 277

•          31 October 2021 - 296

•          31 October 2019 - 292

•          2013 – Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) is unable to retrieve the data.

In relation to Independent Fostering Agencies the following were commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council.

•          30 October 2023 – 68

•          31 October 2021 – 56

•          31 October 2019-  - 36

•          2013 – LCC is unable to retrieve the data.

i. The data LCC has for fostering approvals and de-registrations is by financial year (1st April to 31st March) and therefore this is what LCC is providing.

Information is taken from the Register of Carers, so includes approved mainstream, kinship and foster to adopt households – but does not include temporary Reg 24 carers.

The number of in-house foster carer households who left the service:-

•             1 April 2023 to 30 October 2023 (i.e. part year) - 53

•             1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 - 94

•             1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 - 78

•             1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 – LCC is unable to retrieve the data.

ii. The number of in-house foster carer households recruited:-

•             1 April 2023 to 30 October 2023 (i.e. part year) - 46

•             1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 - 90

•             1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 - 69

•             1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 – LCC is unable to retrieve the data.

3.

4. Annual Budget:

•          1 April 2023 to 30 October 2023 - i.e part year £1,208,099.25.

•          1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 - £1,559,466.45

•          1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 – £607,667.22

•          1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 – £709,897.84

Average Costs:

•          1 April 2023 to 30 October 2023 – i.e part year £877.05

•          1 April 2021to 31 March 2022 - £811.40

•          1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 - £762.15

•          1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 - LCC is unable to retrieve this data

5. The council do not have any contracts of employment with foster carers households but do pay allowances to retain the use of the beds for children who have disabilities and need short term breaks and those requiring emergency, remand or  placements for those  young people harder to place:

The average costs associated are :

• 1 April 2023 to 30 October 2023- £473.52
• 1 April 2021to 31 March 2022 - £421.28
• 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 - £401.00
• 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 - LCC is unable to retrieve data

6.