Please can you tell me:
* how many children’s homes there are in your local authority area
* how many are local authority controlled and how many are private
* how many are registered with Ofsted
* how many are unregistered
As of January 2025, there were 64 children’s homes in Devon registered with Ofsted. Of these, 6 were provided by DCC and 58 by private / voluntary providers. We do not hold data on the number of unregistered children’s homes located in Devon.
Please can you provide a list of the children’s homes, including:
* name
* whether each one is local authority controlled and or privately controlled
* address
* if they are registered or unregistered
* number of children living in each home
* how many children the council has placed in each home for each year over the past five calendar years
* how much money the council has spent on each placement
* how many children other councils (include name of council) have placed in each home for each year over the past five calendar years
* when each home was last inspected by the council, if applicable
Public disclosure of the details of the children’s homes and therefore the details of where vulnerable children are currently residing would place them at risk. This is considered a safeguarding issue and the children’s safety is considered paramount.
This information is therefore exempt from disclosure under Section 31(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Prevention or Detection of Crime).
The Council has considered the public interest in releasing this information and recognises there is a public interest in openness and transparency. However, there is a stronger public interest in the Council avoiding creating a safeguarding risk. Therefore, the balance of public interest weighs in favour of withholding this information from disclosure.