Forster Care and Adoption

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Dear Sir/Madam,

I am making the following Freedom of Information Request:

1. What is the budget for children services and what has the budget been over the last 5 years?

2. What is the amount of money spent on Locums, Agency Staff, Private Adoption Agencies or Care Agencies, including charitable organisations such as Barnardos? Can the names of the private agencies, consultancies or charities utilised be provided. And can a financial breakdown be provided to detail how much each external organisations received from the services provided.

3. Of this breakdown how much was spent on legal fees?

4. Which portion of children's services comes from income raised by the Local Authority or Central Government and is there a cap by Central Government on the proportion of funds?

5. How many children have been forcibly removed (Under Section 50 of the Children Act 1989) over the last 5 years to foster care or care?

6. How many forced adoptions have occurred over the last 5 years.

Yours faithfully,

Francesca Solis

Freedom of Information, Monmouthshire County Council

Good Afternoon Ms Solis

I do not know how you are defining forced adoptions so will you clarify that point please.

Kind regards

Averil Hoggins
Freedom of Information Support Officer (temporary)
Email / Ebost: [email address]

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Freedom of Information, Monmouthshire County Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Solis
 
I refer to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 
 
The response to your request is as follows:
 
 
1. What is the budget for children services and what has the budget been
over the last 5 years?
 
From our WG returns (ROs - Outturn and RAs - Budget), the total costs of
Fostering & Adoption are:
 

* Outturn 2013/14 £2,644,924
* Outturn 2014/15 £2,710,124
* Outturn 2015/16 £2,997,289
* Outturn 2016/17 £3,194,661
* Budget 2017/18          Not Available (RA form only records budget for
'Looked After Children' which is £6,690,789 - Fostering and Adoption
costs are within this figure)
* Budget 2018/19          Not Available (RA form only records budget for
'Looked After Children' which is £7,122,253 - Fostering and Adoption
costs are within this figure)

 
2. What is the amount of money spent on Locums, Agency Staff, Private
Adoption Agencies or Care Agencies, including charitable organisations
such as Barnardos?  Can the names of the private agencies, consultancies
or charities utilised be provided.  And can a financial breakdown be
provided to detail how much each external organisations received from the
services provided.
 
I am able to establish the total amount paid to independent fostering
agencies over the period 2013/14-2017/18 as follows (rounded to nearest
£1,000):
 

Foster Care Associates Ltd £1,747,000
Pathway Care £1,010,000
The Adolescent & Children’s Trust £359,000
Independent Foster Care Services £1,017,000
Fostering Solutions Ltd £70,000
The Foster Care Co-operative £392,000
Action for Children £343,000
Family Foster Care Ltd £231,000
National Fostering Agency £778,000
Clifford House Fostering £208,000
Cariad Fostering £3,000
Fostering Matters Ltd £448,000
Foster Care Group Wales CYF £96,000
Compass Fostering Wales Ltd £201,000
Compass Fostering South £25,000
TLC Wales Fostering £136,000
£7,064,000

 
In terms of adoption agencies, I am able to confirm payments made for the
purchase of adoptive placements 2013/14-2017/18 as follows:
 
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council  £27,000
St. David’s Children Society                    £27,000
Coram                                           £28,050
Plymouth City Council                           £27,000
Gloucester County Council                       £43,000
Scottish Adoption                               £19,697
 
In relation to locum staff and agency staff, it is not possible to
determine how much of these costs relate directly to fostering and
adoption work.
 
3. Of this breakdown how much was spent on legal fees? There is no readily
available figure for the cost of legal fees directly relating to fostering
and adoption work.
 
4. Which portion of children's services comes from income raised by the
Local Authority or Central Government and is there a cap by Central
Government on the proportion of funds? This information is not held by the
SCH Finance Team.
 
5. How many children have been forcibly removed (Under Section 50 of the
Children Act 1989) over the last 5 years to foster care or care? Not
finance-related.
 
6. How many forced adoptions have occurred over the last 5 years. -
clarification has not been given to us re forced adoption, therefore we
are unable to comment on that aspect of this FOI
 
 
If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
for information, you can request a review by e-mail to
[1]mailto:[email address] or by writing to:
 
Paul Matthews
Chief Executive
PO Box 106
Caldicot
NP26 9AN 
 
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
2nd Floor
Churchill House
Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH
 
Telephone: 02920 678400
Email: [2][email address]
Fax: 02920 678399
There is no charge for making an appeal. 
 
Regards
 
 
Averil Hoggins
Freedom of Information Support Officer (temporary)
Email / Ebost: [3][email address]
 
 
[4][IMG]
 
 
 
 
 
_____________________________________________
 
 

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