Individual children (not placements) placed into mainstream foster care - Find a freedom of information request

1. How many individual children (not placements) were placed into mainstream foster care by the local authority over the past 12 months (or the most recent 12-month period that you're able to process)?

2. Of those, please confirm how many individual children (not placements) were placed with foster carers of independent fostering agencies.

3. What is the minimum, maximum and average weekly agency fee you have given to IFAs for individual children (not placements) placed as 'standard' placements?

4. Of the independent fostering agencies used by the local authority, which company provides the most placements for individual children?

5. What is the average weekly cost for in-house local authority provision for individual children placed as 'standard' placements?

6. For the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 (so far):

6a. How many individual children were placed with foster carers of independent fostering agencies

6b. How many individual children were placed with in-house/council-registered foster carers

6c. What is your annual spend on: in-house fostering, independent fostering agencies, residential children's homes?

7. What is the current average cost of a residential placement for an individual child with an IFA and what is the cost for a residential placement for an individual child with a council-registered provider?

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. 237 this excludes kinship carers

2. Between 1/3/23 & 29/2/24 41 individual children were placed in IFA's. 10 of these we Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) IFA placements and 3 were parent and child.

3. Between 1/3/23 & 29/2/24, Minimum = £452.20 p/w,

Maximum = £2,400 p/w (parent and child) or £1,284 p/w for standard individual placement,

Average £881.14 p/w or £941.80 p/w if including standard parent and child

4. Foster Care Associates

5.

6.a.

2018-19 - 15 (9 x IFA, 5 x parent & child, 1 x UASC)

2019-20 - 37 (21 x IFA, 13 x parent and child, 3 x UASC)

2020-21 - 23 (9 x IFA, 13 x parent and child, 1 x UASC)

2021-22 - 38 (29 x IFA, 7 x parent and child, 2 x UASC)

2022-23 - 34 (19 x IFA, 2 x parent and Child, 13 x UASC)

2023-24 (to date) - 39 (27 x IFA, 3 x parent and child, 9 x UASC)

b.

c. See attached table

7. Current average IFA cost is £914.84 per week- excludes overheads and Parent and Child placements

Should you require the attachment mentioned above please contact customerinformationservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the below reference number and this can be provided.