child abuse in care statistics

Dear Ms Webb,

Thank you for your request for information made under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. We acknowledge receipt of your request on 29^th May
2009 and we are currently searching our files for the information you have
requested.

We will contact you further if the following apply:

* If we do not hold the information.

* Where we require further information to process your request.

* Where the information is held but a fee is applicable (in which case a
fees notice will be issued to you and you will be required to pay before
we will proceed to deal with your request).

* Where the information is held but an exemption to supplying the
information is to be considered.

Your request will be given prompt attention and you should receive a
response on or before 25^th June 2009 as this is within 20 working days as
set out in the Act. Should you have any queries about the above or wish to
discuss your request further please contact me.

Yours Sincerely

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

1a Bailey Street

Stafford

Staffordshire

ST17 4BG

Tel: 01785 278568

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Dear Ms Webb,

Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 29th May
2009.

We have completed the search of our records and can confirm the following:

1) how many children have suffered abuse in local authority care over
the last three years

The information you have requested is not held as defined by the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 and therefore Staffordshire County Council are
unable to provide a response to your question.

2) the number of children adopted without parental consent

The information you have requested is not held as defined by the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 and therefore Staffordshire County Council are
unable to provide a response to your question.

3) the number of complaints you have received and the outcomes

We have interpreted this question to mean complaints regarding
Staffordshire County Council's Vulnerable Children's Services; therefore
the figures are as follows:

2005-2006: 220 complaints received regarding Vulnerable Children's
Services. Of those 32% were upheld, 11% were withdrawn by complainant, 1%
unresolved, 1% resolved by CSM, 1% outcome unknown, 22% not upheld, 32%
partially upheld.

2006-2007: 210 complaints received regarding Vulnerable Children's
Services. Of those 46% were upheld (either fully or partially), 40% not
upheld, 6% withdrawn by complainant, 8% unsubstantiated, suspended,
remained unresolved.

2007-2008: 154 complaints received regarding Vulnerable Children's
Services. Of those 62% were upheld (either fully or partially), 27% not
upheld, 2% withdrawn by complainant, 9% unsubstantiated, suspended,
remained unresolved.

Figures for 2008-2009 have yet to be released, but will be published at
the following link in the near future:

[1]http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/cgi-bin/...

4) how many times the lgo has been involved

The answers to this question can be found on the Local Government
Ombudsman's website, therefore this information is exempt from release
under section 21 (Information accessible to applicant by other means) of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

[2]http://www.lgo.org.uk/CouncilsPerformanc...

5) how many cases of misconduct have been upheld

The answers to this question can be found on the Local Government
Ombudsman's website, therefore this information is exempt from release
under section 21 (Information accessible to applicant by other means) of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

[3]http://www.lgo.org.uk/CouncilsPerformanc...

If you have any queries or require any further information please do not
hesitate to contact me.

In the first instance if you have any comments relating to how your
request has been handled by our authority, please contact Philip Jones,
Head of Information Governance, Information Governance Unit, 1a Bailey
Street, Stafford, ST17 4BG.

If you have any further comments relating to how your request has been
handled by our authority, please contact the Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours Sincerely

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

Law and Governance Directorate

Staffordshire County Council

1A Bailey Street

Stafford

ST17 4BG

Telephone: 01785 278568

Fax: 01785 278362

[email address]

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Dear Ms Webb,

Details of children abused in care and children adopted without parental
consent if held would only be detailed in individual case files and not in
a statistical format or central location; therefore this information is
not held in a format that can be released under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.

You have also asked:

1) can you tell me the total sum this local authority has been paid to
meet adoption targets

We will treat this question as a new request for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. We acknowledge receipt of your request
on 23rd June 2006 and we are currently searching our files for the
information you have requested.

We will contact you further if the following apply:

If we do not hold the information.

Where we require further information to process your request.

Where the information is held but a fee is applicable (in which case a
fees notice will be issued to you and you will be required to pay before
we will proceed to deal with your request).

Where the information is held but an exemption to supplying the
information is to be considered.

Your request will be given prompt attention and you should receive a
response on or before 20th July 2009 as this is within 20 working days as
set out in the Act.

You have also asked:

2) can you tell me how much funding has been allowed to pay for common
purpose training and how many workers have taken part

In order for us to answer this question we require further information.
Can you please clarify if you require information to the specific Common
Purpose training provided by the organisation of that name, or to general
training undertaken by staff? Also can you please clarify if you require
this information relating to the children's social care workforce, the
whole of the Children and Lifelong Learning Directorate, or the whole of
Staffordshire County Council?

Should you have any queries about the above or wish to discuss your
request further please contact me.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

Law and Governance Directorate

Staffordshire County Council

1A Bailey Street

Stafford

ST17 4BG

Telephone: 01785 278568

Fax: 01785 278362

[email address]

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Dear Ms Webb,

Thank you for your request for information below.

We have completed the search of our records and can confirm the following:

Prior to 2008/9 Staffordshire County Council used to receive a "Children's
Services Grant", which was made up of 5 different amounts, one of which
was for "Adoption Support and Special Guardianship".

The amount of grant we received in 2006/7 and 2007/8 for this element
(i.e. adoption support and special guardianship) was £0.306m and £0.308m
respectively.

In 2008/9 the Children's Services Grant ceased and nationally the grant
was put into the general revenue support grant that Local Authorities
receive. From 2008/9 it is not therefore possible to specifically identify
the amount received for adoption support as it is within the County
Council's general grant figure.

If you have any queries or require any further information please do not
hesitate to contact me.

In the first instance if you have any comments relating to how your
request has been handled by our authority, please contact Philip Jones,
Head of Information Governance, Information Governance Unit, 1a Bailey
Street, Stafford, ST17 4BG.

If you have any further comments relating to how your request has been
handled by our authority, please contact the Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours Sincerely

Regards

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

Law and Governance Directorate

Staffordshire County Council

1A Bailey Street

Stafford

ST17 4BG

Telephone: 01785 278568

Fax: 01785 278362

[1][email address]

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Dear Ms Webb,

Can you please clarify what information you are currently awaiting as
suggested in your email of 3rd October 2009?

From our records your email dated 23rd June 2009 was responded to in three
parts;

1) I responded to your query regarding information relating to the abuse
of children in care and also children that have been adopted without
parental consent on 23rd June 2009.

2) Within your email of the 23rd June you made a new request asking 'can
you tell me the total sum this local authority has been paid to meet
adoption targets'. I responded to this part of your request by email on
22nd July 2009.

3) Within your email of the 23rd June you made a new request asking 'can
you tell me how much funding has been allowed to pay for common purpose
training and how many workers have taken part'. I responded to this
question in part 2 of my email of 23rd June 2009 by asking for
clarification. To date I have not received clarification to this part of
your request.

Therefore without further information from you I cannot comment further on
any part of this request.

Regards

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

Law and Governance Directorate

Staffordshire County Council

1A Bailey Street

Stafford

ST17 4BG

Telephone: 01785 278568

Fax: 01785 278362

[email address]

 

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Dear Ms Webb,

Thank you for your clarification received on 5th October 2009.

We are currently searching our files for the information you have
requested.

We will contact you further if the following apply:

o If we do not hold the information.

o Where we require further information to process your request.

o Where the information is held but a fee is applicable (in
which case a fees notice will be issued to you and you will be required to
pay before we will proceed to deal with your request).

o Where the information is held but an exemption to supplying
the information is to be considered.

Your request will be given prompt attention and you should receive a
response on or before 30th October 2009 as this is within 20 working days
as set out in the Act. Should you have any queries about the above or wish
to discuss your request further please contact me.

Yours Sincerely

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

Law and Governance Directorate

Staffordshire County Council

1A Bailey Street

Stafford

ST17 4BG

Telephone: 01785 278568

Fax: 01785 278362

[email address]

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Dear Ms Webb,

Re: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your request for information.

We have completed the search of our records and I can confirm that we have
found no records which relate to members of staff being training by common
purpose, therefore to the best of my knowledge Staffordshire Council
Council has never used Common Purpose as a training provider.

If you have any queries or require any further information please do not
hesitate to contact me.

In the first instance if you have any comments relating to how your
request has been handled by our authority, please contact Philip Jones,
Head of Information Governance, Information Governance Unit, 1a Bailey
Street, Stafford, ST17 4BG.

If you have any further comments relating to how your request has been
handled by our authority, please contact the Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Regards

Gemma Allen

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Unit

Law and Governance Directorate

Staffordshire County Council

1A Bailey Street

Stafford

ST17 4BG

Telephone: 01785 278568

Fax: 01785 278362

[1][email address]

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Dear Jane Webb,

Re: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your further request for information.

We have completed the search of our records and I can confirm that to
the best of our knowledge, Staffordshire County Council has not used
Common Purpose training providers.

I have contacted the staff that were responsible for the March 2006
cabinet paper that you attached and they have confirmed that
Staffordshire County Council did consider the services, however did not
go ahead.

We have also searched our payments system and can find no trace of any
monies being paid to any vendor with the name 'common purpose'.

I cannot comment on the other website you have attached as this is not a
website written by Staffordshire County Council.

If you have any queries or require any further information please do not
hesitate to contact me.

In the first instance if you have any comments relating to how your
request has been handled by our authority, please contact Philip Jones,
Head of Information Governance, Information Governance Unit, 1a Bailey
Street, Stafford, ST17 4BG.

If you have any further comments relating to how your request has been
handled by our authority, please contact the Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours Sincerely
Gemma Allen
Access to Information Officer
Information Governance Unit
Law and Governance Directorate
Staffordshire County Council
1A Bailey Street
Stafford
ST17 4BG
Telephone: 01785 278568
Fax: 01785 278362
[email address]

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