16 and 17 year old looked after children the local authority is responsible for - Find a freedom of information request

1) How many 16 and 17 year old looked after children is your local authority responsible for currently?

2) How many 16 and 17 year old looked after children in your local authority are currently placed out of area?

3) How many 16 and 17 year old looked after children were accommodated in spot purchased placements (off framework/contracted arrangements) in the 22/23 financial year?

4) What was the cost of placements/supported accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds per week for the 22/23 financial year?

a) lowest cost

b) highest cost

c) average cost

5) Are there sufficient placements in your local authority area for 16 and 17 year old looked after children who have a high level of complex needs?

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1) There are 182 x 16-17 year olds in the care of the Local Authority

2) 65 x 16-17 year olds are currently placed outside of Lincolnshire, of whom 46 are Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

3) All independent placements for looked after children in Lincolnshire are procured via Lincolnshire Open Select List procurement process.

4)

a) lowest cost - £268.30 per week

b) highest cost - £12,451.00 per week

c) average cost - £2,242,82 per week

5) LCC commission some capacity to cover this cohort in the contracted Youth Housing Service but this would be determined on an individual basis as to whether it would meet a child's needs.

If further placements of this nature are required for 16-17 year olds with complex needs LCC commissions these through the Open Select List.

There has been a need to commission some placements for this cohort outside of Lincolnshire.