Background
There is a national shortage of foster carers as new carers are not being recruited at the same rate as those who are leaving, resulting in looked-after children being placed far from home with many local authorities paying exorbitant costs for their care.1 More than a fifth of all looked after children in England are now living more than 20 miles from home, a rise of 62% since 2013.2 A recent Barnardo’s report3 documented the decline being due to “the impact of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis, biological children staying at home for longer and spare rooms being used as home offices”.4 In addition to personal reasons deterrents from becoming foster carers included not being able to afford to and not having suitable accommodation.3 The declining number of foster care places means that more children are being placed in private care, often at a distance from their family, siblings and community, and at a considerably increased cost. Children living far away are likely to have more complicated and fragmented histories and there can be legitimate reasons for a distant placement – e.g., to keep a child safe from exploitation. Against this, being moved can disrupt a child’s education, life outcomes and relationships – including with brothers and sisters who might live miles away. Disconnection from their local community increases risks of feeling lonely, isolated and stigmatised – creating additional trauma for children who have already had difficult upbringings.
The decreased number of foster care placements means that children whose needs could be met within a budget of around £1000 a week are being placed in private care places designed for more complex needs which cost around £6000 a week per child in a group residential home, around £12 00 a week for an individual placement and £9 800 a week for a 28 day respite/breaker placement. Retainers which were previously charged at 50% are now being charged at 100% due to the high demand across Local Authorities.
In 2023, 25% of the 500 children under the case of Plymouth City Council (PCC) were placed over 20 miles from home, compared to a national average of 21%.5 On 30 September 2024 there were 517 children in the care of Plymouth City Council of which only 356 (68.9%) were in foster placements.6 The Children, Young People and Families (CYP&F) Directorate of Plymouth City Council have the highest level of statutory requirements in the Local Authority, making innovation particularly challenging during a climate of increasing austerity. The majority of their work focuses on children identified as being in need, protection plans and those in care and accounts for 29% of the overall PCC revenue budget. In a recent research prioritisation process undertaken by PHDRC (see below) addressing this issue of ‘more appropriate placements’ and ‘reduction in associated overspend’ was prioritised as the most important research issue for Plymouth City Council.
Plymouth City Council have undertaken a substantial review of the situation, the challenges and opportunities, to support achieving their Children and Young People’s Plan for the city7 which is summarised in their ‘Homes for our Children and Young People’6 report which they have kindly shared with us ahead of publication. Some initiatives are already underway including enhanced payment for foster carers, use of the ‘Mockingbird’ technique where more experienced foster carers support newer ones, a strategic collaboration to encourage and support foster care across the region and encouraging private care organisations to deliver care in the city (reducing associated travel and subsistence costs for social workers and families and retaining and strengthening local ties). Other initiatives have been identified and are in the early stages such as the setting up of homes run in and by the city and further needs have been pinpointed for which solutions are yet to be identified, particularly for children with higher level more complex needs. This review was heavily informed by listening to the needs of Children and Young People who contributed their experiences of being placed away from Plymouth. In addressing their financial issues and statutory responsibilities PCC does not have the resource to undertake substantive research on evidence informed potential solutions to the issues identified or to evaluate those being implemented.