Residential Family Centre placements

For each of the following financial years: * 2023/24 * 2024/25 * 2025/26 Please provide the following information:

1. The total budget allocated by the local authority for Residential Family Centre placements.

2. The total actual expenditure on Residential Family Centre placements.

3. The total number of families/placements placed in Residential Family Centres.

4. The total number of placement weeks purchased.

5. The average weekly cost per family/placement, if held.

6. The average length of placement, if held.

7. Of the Residential Family Centre placements purchased in each year, where this information is held, the number purchased: o on a spot-purchase basis; and o through a framework, block contract, guaranteed-volume arrangement or other commissioned arrangement.

8. Please confirm whether the authority currently has any block-purchasing, guaranteed volume or other contracted arrangement for Residential Family Centre provision.

9. The number of Residential Family Centre placements made outside the local authority area during each financial year.

10. The number of referrals for Residential Family Centre provision where a placement could not be secured, if this information is recorded.

11. Where recorded, the number of families referred for Residential Family Centre assessment where the authority subsequently used a community-based family assessment/support alternative rather than a residential placement.

12. Please provide the authority's agreed or forecast 2026/27 budget for Residential Family Centre provision, where available. For clarity, this request relates specifically to placements in Residential Family Centres, rather than parent-and-child fostering placements or other forms of family support or assessment delivered in the community, except for the specific information requested at question 11.

If average weekly cost is not held as a recorded figure, please provide the weekly placement rates/cost information that is held. Similarly, if any information requested is not held in precisely the format above, I would be grateful if you could provide the closest equivalent information available rather than undertake new analysis.

Where 2025/26 expenditure or activity figures have not yet been finalised, please provide the most recent available figures and identify these as provisional.

Please note the local authority refers to Residential Family Centre placements as parent and child residential assessment placements.

1. It is not possible to identify the total budget allocated solely for parent and child residential assessment placements as the budget is for both parent and child residential assessment and fostering assessment placements. The total budget allocated by the local authority for both parent and child residential assessment and fostering assessment places for the 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years was as follows:

• 2023/24 - £531,035

• 2024/25 - £331,900

• 2025/26 - £193,590

2. The total actual expenditure for parent and child residential assessment for each of the financial years requested was as follows:

• 2023/24 - £0

• 2024/25 - £322,019.78

• 2025/26 - £347,089.26

3. The total number of families/placements placed in parent and child residential assessment settings for each of the financial years requested was as follows:

• 2023/24 - 0 • 2024/25 - 5 • 2025/26 - 9

4. The total number of placement weeks purchased for each of the financial years requested was as follows:

• 2023/24 - 0

• 2024/25 - 73

• 2025/26 - 76

5. The average weekly cost per family/placement for each of the financial years requested was as follows:

• 2023/24 – N/A

• 2024/25 - £4,549.04

• 2025/26 - £4,518.83

6. The average length of placement for each of the financial years requested was as follows:

• 2023/24 – N/A

• 2024/25 – 14.62 weeks

• 2025/26 – 9.22 weeks

7. All parent and child residential assessment placements purchased in each of the years requested were purchased via the Council's Open Select List Framework based on the needs of the individual family.

8. The authority does not have any block-purchasing, guaranteed-volume or other contracted arrangement for parent and child residential assessment placements.

9. All parent and child residential assessment placements identified in question 3 were made outside of the local authority area.

10. The authority does not record this information.

11. The authority does not record this information.

12. As identified in question 1 above, the budget allocated by the local authority is for both parent and child residential assessment and fostering assessment places the budget is not solely for parent and child residential assessment placements; which for 2026/27 financial year is £193,590.