1. What is the name, job title, email address and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for Looked After Children and/or placements in children’s care homes?
We consider this information is exempt under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (Personal Data). Devon County Council are 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.
We can provide you with the children’s commissioning secure mailbox address who will be happy to answer any queries you have relating to looked after children – childrenscommissioningsecuremailbox@devon.gov.uk
For questions 2 through 6, please supply the following information for the financial years 2018/19 to 2021/22, and where possible, the budget or most up to date snapshot available for 2022/23.
2. Please provide the total number of children looked after by the local authority (please include all placements at any point throughout the financial year).
2017/18 – 986
2018/19 – 991
2019/20 – 1064
2020/21 – 1106
2021/22 – 1079
3. Please provide the local authority’s total expenditure on placements for looked after children (this is the total spend on all looked after children and should exclude expenses related to travel, social work visits etc).
2017/18 – £34.545m
2018/19 – £40.639m
2019/20 – £43.556m
2020/21 – £45.942m
2021/22 – £56.462m
4. Of the total number of children looked after by the local authority (q.2) please provide the number of placements in children’s homes (not including unregulated children’s homes, secure units or hostels)
2017/18 – 96
2018/19 – 108
2019/20 – 112
2020/21 – 128
2021/22 – 133
5. Of the total number of children looked after by the local authority in regulated children’s homes (q.4) please provide the number placed inside the local authority boundary (in area) and the number placed outside the local authority boundary (out of area). Please exclude unregulated children’s homes.
2017/18 – 44 in area 59 out of area
2018/19 – 54 in area 65 out of area
2019/20 – 59 in area 64 out of area
2020/21 – 70 in area 72 out of area
2021/22 – 77 in area 67 out of area
6. Of the number of children looked after by the local authority in regulated children’s homes, please provide the number of children looked after by the local authority:
* In placements inside the local authority boundary, in ‘own provision’ (operated by the local authority)
2017/18 – 529
2018/19 – 553
2019/20 – 644
2020/21 – 657
2021/22 – 572
* In placements outside the local authority boundary, in ‘own provision’ (operated by the local authority)
2017/18 – 131
2018/19 – 132
2019/20 – 125
2020/21 – 142
2021/22 – 162
* In placements inside the local authority boundary, in ‘private provision’ (operated by the independent sector)
2017/18 – 268
2018/19 – 262
2019/20 – 239
2020/21 – 238
2021/22 – 305
* In placements outside the local authority boundary, in ‘private provision’ (operated by the independent sector)
2017/18 – 143
2018/19 – 160
2019/20 – 174
2020/21 – 208
2021/22 – 180
Please note, for Q6 some children fall into more than one category per year so may be counted more than once, i..e where they may have been in placements of different types during the year.
7. Please provide the highest, average (mean), and lowest weekly fee currently paid for LAC in a regulated children’s home (please include all placements in regulated children’s homes, including those in and outside of the local authority boundary, as well as those operated by the local authority, the independent sector, and others).
Highest £13,950
Average £5,748
Lowest £4,963