Number of Looked After Children placed with family members outside of the United Kingdom for each calendar year between 2018-2020

The request was refused by Doncaster Borough Council.

Dear Doncaster Borough Council,

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information in relation to Looked After Children:

1. The total number of Looked After Children under your local authority care, where family members outside the United Kingdom were explored* for each calendar year between January 2018 and December 2020 inclusive.
2. The number of Looked After Children under your local authority care that were placed outside the United Kingdom for each calendar year between January 2018 and December 2020 inclusive.
3. The number and type of placement orders used for placing Looked After Children from your local authority care with family members outside the United Kingdom for each calendar year between January 2018 and December 2020 inclusive.

For the purposes of this request Looked After Children is defined as being subject to
• Section 31 The Children Act 1989;
• Section 38 Children act 1989;
• Section 20 Children Act 1989.

*Please note that by ‘where family members outside the United Kingdom were explored’, we mean where a family member of a Looked After Child under your local authority care outside the United Kingdom was identified, considered as a possible carer for the child, and steps to assess the family member as a suitable carer for the child were considered. Please include both:
• children where an assessment of a family member outside the UK was considered but not actually carried out; and
• children where an assessment of a family member outside the UK was carried out.

Please provide the information electronically. For ease and clarity, please see the format provided below:

Question. 2018. 2019. 2020. Total.
1.
2.
3.

Access to this information will support CFAB’s further research into the outcomes of international kinship placements and CFAB’s campaign for clear guidance on the appropriate steps to take when placing children with families abroad (click here for more information). We offer free advice to over 90% of the UK’s children services departments. If this is of use to your local authority, please visit our website (www.cfab.org.uk) or call our Advice Line on 0207 735 8941.

I understand that under the Act, you are required to respond to my request within 20 working days of receiving this letter. If this is request is unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me, and I will be happy to provide further clarification.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,
Molly Turrell
Impact and Evaluation Officer

Freedom of Information Requests, Doncaster Borough Council

Dear Molly,

Re: Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your request for information.

I can confirm your request has been passed to the relevant department who will endeavour to search for any information held and provide you with a response as soon as is possible. This will be within 20 working days and in any case by the 3rd September 2021.

Please note that some service areas within the Council are still working on the response to Covid-19 and therefore may not be available to respond to your request at this time. Should this be the case with regard to your request, please be assured we will contact you to advise you further.

Yours sincerely

Craig Miller
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Corporate Resources
Doncaster Council

Address Floor Two, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Website www.doncaster.gov.uk

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FOI Responses, Doncaster Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear Holly,

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 5^th August 2021
for information about the total number of looked after children placed
outside the United Kingdom. Please find below Doncaster Children’s
Services Trust’s response to the request you have made:

 

Questions:

1. The total number of Looked After Children under your local authority
care, where family members outside the United Kingdom were explored* for
each calendar year between January 2018 and December 2020 inclusive.

2. The number of Looked After Children under your local authority care
that were placed outside the United Kingdom for each calendar year between
January 2018 and December 2020 inclusive.

3. The number and type of placement orders used for placing Looked After
Children from your local authority care with family members outside the
United Kingdom for each calendar year between January 2018 and December
2020 inclusive.

 

Response:

Notice under Section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 -
Refusal to disclose information

 

Decision:

After carefully considering your request for information the Doncaster
Children’s Services Trust has decided that to respond to your request
would exceed the appropriate limit as defined in the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

 

Basis for decision:

Section 12 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act allows for a request for
information to be refused where the cost of supplying this information
exceeds the appropriate limit. This is called an "exemption".  The Freedom
of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees)
Regulations 2004 section 3 (3) determines the appropriate limit for local
government to be £450, equal to provision of officer time at approximately
18 hours (2.5 working days).

 

Why does the exemption apply in this case?:

The Trust does not hold a central record of this information that would
respond to your request, in order to determine the total number of looked
after children placed outside the United Kingdom a total of 570 files will
need to be reviewed.

 

It is estimated that each file will require a 10 minute investigation. As
details of 570 files require review in order to determine this information
this would result in a total time of approximately 95 hours and is this is
classed as excessive.

 

I hope that this information is useful to you.

 

The Doncaster Children’s Services Trust estimates that it has cost £25.00
to respond to this request for information.

 

Reviewing any decisions made:

 

You can ask us to review any decisions made about your request.  You do
this by writing to:-

Freedom of Information Officer

Doncaster Council

Civic Office

Waterdale

Doncaster 

DN1 3BU

 

e-mail: [1][email address]

 

You can apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision about our
compliance or otherwise with the Freedom of Information legislation. 
Please contact the Commissioner for details on how to do this - telephone
01625 545700, address: Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. 

Internet: [2]http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/

 

Kind regards

 

Sophie Ormshaw

Executive Assistant and Company Secretary

Corporate Resources

Doncaster Children’s Services Trust

Colonnades House

Duke Street

Doncaster

DN1 1ER

 

 

Tel: 01302 735326

E-mail: [3][email address]

Web: [4]www.doncasterchildrenstrust.co.uk

 

[5]cid:image001.png@01D14A22.3959E070

 

[6]PML2815_E-BANNER_Shape_The_Future_SW

Please treat the content of this e-mail as confidential. If you have
received this e-mail and it is not addressed to you please accept my
apologies and inform me as soon as possible.

 

 

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References

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