Soaring costs of child placements 'can't continue'

SOME PLACEMENTS COST 40K PER WEEK

- ALISON STEPHENSON

THE rising cost of placing children in the care of Plymouth City Council can’t be allowed to continue, its leader says.

Almost 70 per cent of the budget for children, young people and families is expected to be spent on residential care this financial year with some placements for children with the most complex needs costing as much £40,000 a week.

The authority is looking at how it can provide its own placements rather than rely on private companies. Earlier this year, it asked the government to investigate the fees charged by some of the largest children’s placement providers as they made “eye watering profits from the most vulnerable people in society”.

A report commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) revealed some companies had banked profits of more than £300 million last year.