Children’s social care placements costing £10,000-plus rocket in five years
The number of children’s social care placements costing £10,000 or more per week has risen by over 1,000 percent in five years, according to a survey of councils by the Local Government Association (LGA).
There were 120 such placements in 2018/19, rising to 1,510 in 2022/23, while the proportion of councils with at least one of these placements has increased from 23% to 91% over the same period.
The highest cost placement was £63,000 a week. For most councils the highest cost placement was between £9,600 and £32,500 a week.
Nearly every council (98%) said a lack of choice in placements was driving the high prices. More than nine in 10 (93%) councils also highlighted children needing help with increasingly complex needs, including mental health needs or exhibiting challenging behaviours, as a factor.
The LGA, which represents councils, says the findings showed the market for children’s social care placements is ‘broken’.
Councils are developing their own children’s homes and running foster carer recruitment campaigns in order to increase capacity. However in light of significant challenges, they are calling for urgent investment in provision that can best meet children’s needs.
The LGA has set out three key areas for government action:
- Roll out planned Department for Education programmes on the recruitment and retention of foster carers to all councils
- Expansion of children’s homes through capital investment, recruitment and professional development of children’s homes workers and working with the voluntary and community sector
- Work with DHSC and NHS England on both inpatient mental health facilities (the number of inpatient mental health beds for teenagers fell by 20 percent between 2017 and 2022) and joint delivery of placements for children with complex mental health needs
The LGA said it was also vital that councils are able to invest in earlier support for children and families to reduce the number of children who need to be in the care of their council, and that councils are provided with longer term funding settlements to help them plan ahead.
The LGA called for urgent funding for children’s social care in the upcoming provisional local government finance settlement. It warned the lack of investment in the Autumn Statement risked councils’ ability to provide the critical care and support that children rely on every day.
Louise Gittins, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: ‘With more children needing help with increasingly complex and challenging needs, what is most important is ensuring they get the best care and support. It is concerning that in many cases, a lack of choice means provision is not fully meeting children’s needs.
‘The astronomical costs of care placements mean there is less money available for councils to spend on earlier support for children and families.
‘These findings are indicative of a broken market for children’s social care placements, but it doesn’t have to remain this way. With cross-government support, it is possible to make sure we have the right homes for all of the children in our care.’
Image: Alexander Grey
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