Please provide the following data relating to children in care.
1.a) In the 12 months to 1 March 2023 how many children in your local authority area were referred as needing a placement in a secure, regulated setting?
b) How many got one?
c) How many children in your local authority are currently waiting for a secure placement in a regulated setting?
Devon County Council does not hold this information.
2. In the two years to 1 March 2023, what is the average time a child in your local authority area has had to wait for a secure placement in a regulated setting?
Devon County Council does not hold this information.
3.a) In the two years to 1 March 2023, what is the longest a child has waited for a secure placement in a regulated setting?
b) Please provide the age and sex of that child.
Devon County Council does not hold this information.
4. In the five years from 2018 to 2022 inclusive, how many children in local authority care have died in;
a. secure accommodation
b. unregulated accommodation
c. waiting for a secure placement.
In response to Question 4 and its subsections, we consider this information is exempt under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (Personal Data).
Devon County Council is not obliged to provide information that is the personal information of another person if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018.
In this instance we believe that the release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore Section 40(2) is applied.
5. How many of those in question 4) died by suicide in;
a. Secure accommodation
b. Unregulated accommodation
c. Waiting for a secure placement
d. How old was the youngest child to die by suicide? And can you please give their sex? (We will not identify this child by local authority area. We are trying to understand how many children across England and Wales, by age, sex and placement type, have died, and how they died, and we will report this without location data).
In response to Question 5 and its subsections, we consider this information is exempt under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (Personal Data).
Devon County Council is not obliged to provide information that is the personal information of another person if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018.
In this instance we believe that the release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore Section 40(2) is applied.
6. In the two years to 1 March 2023, how many applications have you made to the family court for permission to place a child in unregulated accommodation?
Devon County Council does not apply to court for the use of unregulated placements.
7. In the two years to 1 March 2023, how many children referred as needing a secure placement has your local authority placed in an unregulated setting?
Devon County Council does not hold this information.
8. In the five years from 2018-2022 inclusive, how many Serious Case Reviews have been commissioned in your local authority in relation to children referred as needing a placement in a secure unit?
1
9. Please tell me what your local authority currently pays per week for children in,
a. Regulated secure accommodation – average price and highest individual current price being paid
Average: £18,573
Highest: £23,600
b. Unregulated accommodation – average price, and highest individual price currently being paid.
Average: £14,251
Highest: £25,478
10. In the two years to 1 March 2023, how many looked after children have you sought DoL orders for?
21 Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders were sought for 21 looked after children.
11. In the two years to 1 March 2023 how many looked after children from your local authority have been sent to Scotland because secure regulated accommodation or appropriate paediatric mental health care has not been available in England?
Devon County Council (DCC) does not hold this information.