news.sky.com
Skyrocketing" Costs of UK Children's Residential Care Cripples Local Authorities
The annual cost of children's residential care in England has nearly doubled since 2019 to £3.1 billion, exceeding £8 billion overall, due to a dysfunctional market with insufficient government oversight, leading to children being placed far from home and highlighting a lack of value for money.
- What is the primary financial impact of the rising cost of children's residential care in England?
- The annual cost of children's residential care has almost doubled to £3.1 billion since 2019, placing a significant strain on local authority finances. Overall spending on looked after children has increased by almost £3 billion to £8.1 billion from 2019/20 to 2023/24, with residential care accounting for more than half of this increase.
- What systemic changes are needed to address the issues highlighted in the National Audit Office report?
- The Department for Education needs better data on the supply and availability of residential care places to match children's needs and determine reasonable costs. Addressing staff shortages, high property prices, and planning permission barriers to opening new homes is crucial. Improved oversight and coordination are needed to create a more functional market, preventing illegal unregistered placements and ensuring value for money.
- How has the increase in residential care costs affected the placement of children and the quality of care?
- The rise in costs has led to a dysfunctional market where local authorities compete for limited places, resulting in children being placed further from their families—nearly 8,000 children are placed over 20 miles from home. A lack of appropriate settings for children with complex needs (e.g., less than 10% of London homes support children with autism and learning difficulties) exacerbates this issue, impacting the quality of care.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The article presents a balanced view by highlighting concerns from various sources, including the National Audit Office, the Department for Education, and experts. While it focuses on the significant cost increases and systemic issues, it also presents the DfE's efforts to address the problem and acknowledges challenges faced by providers. The use of quotes from key individuals adds different perspectives. However, the repeated emphasis on financial aspects might overshadow the human element of children's experiences in care.
Language Bias
The language used is largely neutral and objective, employing factual reporting and statistics. There is some use of stronger terms like "skyrocketing" costs and "dysfunctional market", but these are attributed to specific sources and don't appear to be imposed by the author. The overall tone is informative rather than emotionally charged.
Bias by Omission
While the report is comprehensive, it could benefit from including more detailed information on the experiences of children in care. Although statistics on location and movement are provided, direct accounts from children or carers might provide a deeper understanding of the emotional impact. Also, the long-term outcomes for children who have been in residential care are mentioned briefly, but more analysis of this data would be helpful.
Sustainable Development Goals
The article highlights that children leaving care are three times more likely to be NEET (not in education, employment, or training) than their peers. This directly impacts their educational outcomes and future prospects, hindering progress towards SDG 4 (Quality Education) which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.