Shocking cost of private care for children in Dudley revealed
Dudley Council’s children’s services chief has called on his political masters to build kids’ homes to cut spiralling costs.
Gerard Jones, the authority’s interim director of children’s services, told councillors the cost of placing young people in private care is more than double council provision.
Speaking at a meeting of the Children’s Corporate Parenting Board, Mr Jones revealed private providers charge £7,500 per week per child while equivalent places in council homes cost £3,500.
He said: “In this council we spend £40 million a year, twice the budget for all the social workers that we have got.
“The majority of that is spent in the private sector. Next time you see a council budget report and you see children’s services is overspending – that is your reason.”
Mr Jones pointed out there are no council-run children’s homes in Dudley borough and highlighted other authorities where new homes are being built.
He said: “We don’t intend to build 12 or 14 children’s homes in Dudley but possibly we should have some so that our children who live locally get to go to the same school and don’t get moved, get to keep their community links and it is easier for them to leave care to get a positive experience.”
A lack of places in the borough means some children are sent away to other parts of the country.
Information obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service under the Freedom of Information Act revealed Dudley currently has 63 children on out-of-borough placements from a total of 581 looked-after young people.
The furthest placement from Dudley is 289 miles away while the average length of a placement is 591 days.
The longest current out-of-borough placement is 16 years and six months.
Mr Jones said: “It is a difficult sector and placement availability is very challenging.
“We have got to sort out provision for children in Dudley.”
