The number of children’s social care placements costing £10,000
or more per week has risen by over 1,000 per cent in five years,
a survey of councils by the Local Government Association reveals
today.
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 per cent to 91 per cent
over the same period.
The highest cost placement was £63,000 a week. For most councils
the highest cost fell between £9,600 and £32,500 a week.
Nearly every council (98 per cent) said a lack of choice in
placements was driving the high prices.
Over nine in 10 (93 per cent) councils also highlighted children
needing help with increasingly complex needs, including mental
health needs or exhibiting challenging behaviours, as a factor.
On the opening day of the National Children and Adult Services
Conference in Bournemouth today, the LGA, which represents
councils, says the findings demonstrate that the market for
children’s social care placements is “broken”.
Councils are working hard to expand placement capacity, including
developing their own children’s homes and running foster carer
recruitment campaigns. 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 per cent between 2017 and 2022) and joint
delivery of placements for children with complex mental health
needs
It is 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
enable them to plan ahead.
The LGA is calling 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.
Cllr 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.”
Notes to editors
- The Independent Review of
Children’s Social Care found that investment of £2.6
billion over four years was needed to reform the children’s
social care system and rebalancing spending towards earlier
help. To date, the Government has committed £200 million over
two years.
-
A market study by the
Competitions and Markets Authority has previously warned
action is needed on a “dysfunctional” children’s social care
market.
- Despite a 27 per cent real-terms reduction in core spending
power for councils since 2010/11, children’s social care budgets
increased by £1.5 billion in the last year alone.
-
Latest figures published
earlier this month showed there were 83,840 looked after
children in England – the highest number on record
- The National Children and Adult
Services Conference runs from 29 November to 1 December in
Bournemouth. It brings together leaders from children's and adult
social care services as well as charities and senior politicians.
It is hosted by the LGA in conjunction with the Association of
Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) and the Association of
Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).
