Supported Accommodation services of the Local Authority - Find a freedom of information request

Supported Accommodation services of your Local Authority:

1. How many children and young adults (including children looked after, care leavers and UASC) were placed in supported accommodation settings by the local authority on 31st March in the following years (31 March 2021, 31 March 2022, 31 March 2023, 31 March 2024)? Please could you also provide this information for those aged 16-17 and 18+ split by the amount of weekly support hours commissioned?

16 & 17 year olds

1-6 hours 
7-12 hours
13-18 hours
19-24 hours 
25-48 hours 
49-72 hours
73-96 hours
96-167 hours 
168 hours (24/7 placements) 

Other placements

Total 16- & 17-year-olds

18+ year olds

1-6 hours 
7-12 hours 
13-18 hours
19-24 hours 
25-48 hours 
49-72 hours 
73-96 hours
96-167 hours 
168 hours (24/7 placements)
Other placements 
Total 18+ year olds 
Total placements

2. How many children and young adults (including children looked after, care leavers and UASC) were placed in supported accommodation settings by the local authority during the year from 1st April to 31st March in the following years, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)? Please could you also provide this information for those aged 16-17 and 18+ split by the amount of weekly support hours commissioned?:

16 & 17 year olds

1-6 hours 
7-12 hours 
13-18 hours 
19-24 hours
25-48 hours 
49-72 hours 
73-96 hours 
96-167 hours 
168 hours (24/7 placements) 
Other placements 
Total 16- & 17-year-olds 

18+ year olds

1-6 hours 
7-12 hours 
13-18 hours 
19-24 hours
25-48 hours 
49-72 hours 
73-96 hours 
96-167 hours 
168 hours (24/7 placements)
Other placements 
Total 18+ year olds 
Total placements 

3. In relation to any Frameworks you currently operate for Supported Accommodation, please provide the following information (including Provider name) about the number of YP placed, the average hourly rate paid for these placements, hours provisioned a week, per age bracket and commentary around any applicable discounts agreed with said Provider.

Provider and the below details listed on a per provider basis:

- No of placements 16-17 yrs old
- Hourly rate of 16-17 yr old
- Av hours a week for 16-17 yr old
- No of placements 18+ yrs old
- Hourly rate of 18+ yr old
- Av hours a week for 18+ yr old
- Discounts agreed

4. What is your total spend on supported accommodation placements by the local authority in the following financial years (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24)? Please could you also provide this information for those aged 16-17 and 18+.

16 & 17 year olds

1-6 hours 
7-12 hours 
13-18 hours 
19-24 hours
25-48 hours
49-72 hours
73-96 hours 
96-167 hours 
168 hours (24/7 placements)
Other placements 
Total 16- & 17-year-olds

18+ year olds

1-6 hours 
7-12 hours
13-18 hours
19-24 hours 
25-48 hours
49-72 hours
73-96 hours
96-167 hours 
168 hours (24/7 placements) 
Other placements
Total 18+ year olds
Total placements 

5. Ofsted now requires supported accommodation providers to be registered and regulated for 16-17 placements. Of all the current 16-17 year olds in supported accommodation placements by the local authority, how many are placed with providers that have successfully registered with Ofsted?

6. Of all the current 16-17 year olds in supported accommodation placements by the local authority, how many are placed with providers that have not yet successfully registered with Ofsted (split between those that you know to have applied for registration, those that you know not yet to have applied for registration, and those whose status is unknown)?

7. How many children and young adults (including children looked after, care leavers and UASC) currently placed, prior to their current Supported Accommodation setting came from either: other supported accommodation units; residential care; not in care; or other?

8. How many children and young adults (including children looked after, care leavers and UASC) that have left their Supported Accommodation unit during the year from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024 have left to go to: other supported accommodation units; residential care; not in care; or other?

9. Of the children and young adults (including children looked after, care leavers and UASC) that have left a supported accommodation unit during the year from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024, please provide detail on the length of their placement - 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5-12 weeks, 13-24 weeks, 25-36 weeks, 37 weeks to 52 weeks, 53 weeks and over.

10. Of the children and young adults (including children looked after, care leavers and UASC) placed in supported accommodation, how many were placed within the local authority and how many were placed in other local authorities? Please provide this information split between 16-17 year olds and 18+.

11. Of the children and young adults placed in supported accommodation, how many would form part of the UASC cohort? Please provide this information split between 16-17 year olds and 18+ and for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Please also provide the expected growth trend in the UASC population that are expected to be placed in Supported Accommodation.

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. 

1. Support hours for young people living in supported accommodation are delivered flexibly based upon the young person’s need and will fluctuate throughout the duration of their placement, therefore it is not possible to split the information by the amount of weekly support hours. The numbers of CYP in accommodation are below; split between UASC and Non-UASC

 2. Support hours for young people living in supported accommodation are delivered flexibly based upon the young person’s need and will fluctuate throughout the duration of their placement, therefore it is not possible to split the information by the amount of weekly support hours. Ages have been categorised by the age of the young person on the date of move in. 

3.  LCC commission Nacro to provide 72 bedspaces and 83,000 hours of support per year to be delivered flexibly, under the Youth Housing Contract. Average hours per week and per age bracket, as well as the hourly rate, cannot be determined as this is dependent on various factors, including the number of young people in placement and their level of need.

The Closed Ordered List for UASC and former-UASC care leavers places a ceiling on the placement cost but this varies between provider and can change depending on their needs; UASC have a standard 8-hours of support per week but this can also change depending on need; former-UASC care leavers generally receive no support hours from the supported accommodation provider as they receive support from the Leaving Care Service.

4. This information cannot be accurately broken down by age group as a young person’s age bracket may change during their placement. The total spend includes the annual contract cost of LCC’s Youth Housing provision, which is a set cost of £1,613,000 per year for 72 bedspaces and 83,000 hours of support.

5. As of September 2024, 8 supported accommodation providers are registered with Ofsted as per the Ofsted supported accommodation provider list.

6. As of September 2024, 3 supported accommodation provider are classed as unregistered, but have all applied for registration (prior to the deadline) and are awaiting their first interview, however are not yet showing on the Ofsted supported accommodation provider list.

7-9. This information cannot be provided in less than the 18hours allowed under section 12(1) of the FOI Act 2000.

10. Of the young people who were placed into spot purchase supported accommodation during 2023-24, 10 were placed in Lincolnshire and 16 were placed in other LA areas. All young people were aged 16-17 years old on the date they were placed.  

All young people placed into the Youth Housing contract were also in Lincolnshire, of which 63 were 16-17 years old and 3 were 18 years old.

All UASC placed in 2023-24 were placed in supported accommodation in other LA areas, except the 3 young people placed in-county within the Youth Housing contract

11. The number of UASC in each of these years is covered in the responses to the above questions. Growth trend for this cohort is difficult to predict as there are many factors involved such as numbers of National Transfer Scheme referrals, age assessment referrals from hotels and spontaneous arrivals.