Placement costs for children in care
Case reference FOI2023/01983
Published 10 January 2024
Request
Please advise:
1. The number of children in care (also known as "Looked After Children") that your local authority is responsible for, that are currently placed in children's homes that are attending mainstream state education. In this definition please include mainstream academies, free schools and maintained schools but exclude independent boarding schools, special schools and Pupil Referral Units/alternative provision.
2. The total placement costs for children in care that your local authority is responsible for, that are currently placed in children's homes that are attending mainstream state education.
3. The highest annual placement cost any individual child in the financial year 2022/23 of children in care that your local authority is responsible for, that were placed in children's homes and were attending mainstream state education during that period.
(Please note I wish to make two clarifications to this FOI.
Firstly, the placement costs refer to the costs of residential placement in the children's home, not the costs of the mainstream schooling.
Secondly, question 2. "The total placement costs for children in care that your local authority is responsible for, that are currently placed in children's homes that are attending mainstream state education" is for the financial year 2022/23.)
Response
Please advise:
1. The number of children in care (also known as "Looked After Children") that your local authority is responsible for, that are currently placed in children's homes that are attending mainstream state education. In this definition please include mainstream academies, free schools and maintained schools but exclude independent boarding schools, special schools and Pupil Referral Units/alternative provision.
22
2. The total placement costs for children in care that your local authority is responsible for, that are currently placed in children's homes that are attending mainstream state education.
£265,611.95 per week
3. The highest annual placement cost any individual child in the financial year 2022/23 of children in care that your local authority is responsible for, that were placed in children's homes and were attending mainstream state education during that period.
£340,017.31 (annual placement cost)
(Please note I wish to make two clarifications to this FOI.
Firstly, the placement costs refer to the costs of residential placement in the children's home, not the costs of the mainstream schooling.
Secondly, question 2. "The total placement costs for children in care that your local authority is responsible for, that are currently placed in children's homes that are attending mainstream state education" is for the financial year 2022/23.)
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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