§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost per week of a child placed by a social services department of a local authority (a) in a house run by the local authority and (b) in a private house.
§ Mr. MoyleThe provisional average weekly costs to local authorities in England in 1975–76 are as follows:
Local authority maintained and controlled community homes £70 Assisted community homes (provided by voluntary organisations but local authorities participate in management) £55 Registered voluntary homes £40 Boarded out with foster parents £9 The cost given for registered voluntary homes is the average amount authorities were asked to pay and may not cover the full cost to voluntary organisations maintaining the children.
The figures do not include administration and field social work costs which cannot be allocated to specific services, and no account has been taken of parental contributions.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to establish minimum standards of care of children placed in homes by the social services departments.
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§ Mr. MoyleCertain standards are laid down in regulations, but these do not apply to a group of privately owned homes which take only children in the care of local authorities. It is the authorities' duty to ensure that such children are satisfactorily cared for. These homes are visited by the Social Work Service. We are currently considering with local authority associations the question of these private homes and other related matters including legislation.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many private homes are currently being used by social services departments for the placement of children in care.
§ Mr. MoyleLocal authority social services departments are not required to notify my Department of placements in private homes. Inquiries have, however, been instituted to ascertain the total number of private establishments used in this way, and I will let the hon. Gentleman know the result.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children, currently in the care of local authority social services departments, are placed (a) in homes run by the local authority and (b) in homes which are privately run.
§ Mr. MoyleThe latest information available, which is provisional, is for 1976 and is as follows:
Number of Children in local authority or controlled community homes 29,893 Number of children in assisted community homes 3,362 Number of children in voluntary homes registered under Section 29 of the Children Act 1948 3,987 Number of children in lodgings and employment 1,700 Number of children in Youth Treatment Centres 39 Number of children in residential accommodation for children ascertained to be handicapped 2,697 Number of children in other accommodation 4,845 Controlled community homes are homes provided by voluntary organisations but run by local authorities with the voluntary organisation providing one-third of the managers.
Assisted community homes are home provided and run by voluntary orrganisations with the local authority providing one third of the managers.
574WIncluded in "other accommodation" is the number of children in private homes, which is not available separately.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek powers to inspect all homes in which children are placed when in the care of the social services department of a local authority.
§ Mr. MoylePowers for this purpose already exist under Section 58(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance he gives to local authority social services departments over the placement of children in homes which are not run by the local authority.
§ Mr. MoyleNo specific guidance is given. Any local authority having legal responsibility for the well being of a child in its care has a duty to satisfy itself as to the suitability of a home before placing the child in it. Afterwards it has a responsibility to ensure that the home continues satisfactorily to meet the child's needs and to review the child's progress at six monthly intervals. It would be its duty to remove a child if it considered it was not in the child's best interests to remain in the home. The social work services, both in regions and at headquarters, offers advice to local authorities, and if it came to my Department's notice that any particular home, not seen by a local authority, was not providing satisfactorily for the children sent there we would inform local authorities using the home of the facts.