Foster Care Statistics by Council Area for Scotland

The request was partially successful.

The Ferret Media Ltd

Please treat the following request as a Freedom of Information request. I am looking to obtain figures and facts surrounding the foster care sector. Please see the questions below.

1. How many people have registered to become a foster carer in the last 3 years? and of this number, how many have quit within 2 years of being registered?

2. What is the average annual cost per young person in residential care of looking after them in residential placements in the council area, compared with outside the council area? What is the average annual cost per young person in residential care of looking after them in placements in the council area, compared with outside the council area?

3. How many children that are looked after by the council and in residential care placements in the council area are in accommodation provided by third-party providers? Please provide the address of each facility, the name of each third-party provider, the total amount paid to each provider and the number of young people placed with each provider.

4. How many children that are looked after by the council and in residential care placements outside the council area are in accommodation provided by third-party providers? Please provide the address of each facility, the name of each third-party provider, the total amount paid to each provider and the number of young people placed with each provider.

Please do not provide the requested information in pdf format files. Please supply them in a machine-readable format such as CSV or Microsoft Excel.

Yours faithfully,

Tiegan Batchelor,
The Ferret Media Ltd

foi, Orkney Islands Council

Classification: NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Dear Madam

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Request for Information

Thank you for your information request dated 4 July 2023 and received on 4 July 2023. Our reference is FOI 2023-0719. This is being dealt with under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

We are considering your request. We may be in touch soon to ask for further clarification or to offer advice and assistance if we are not able to fulfil your request in its present form.

The legislation allows us up to 20 working days from the date that we receive a valid request, including any clarification we need to make a final response. We will be in touch within 20 working days of receipt of your initial request to provide our response or to seek clarification where necessary. We hope to give you the information you are looking for at an earlier date if possible.

Kind Regards

Sarah Ratter
Administrative Officer
Strategy, Performance & Business Solutions
Orkney Islands Council
Council Offices
School Place
Kirkwall
Orkney
KW15 1NY

Tel: (01856) 873535 Extn 2249

My hours of work are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9 am to 5 pm

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foi, Orkney Islands Council

Classification: NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Dear Madam

Further to my previous email, we note that your company requested this exact Freedom of Information Request on Friday 30 June and we have allocated ref number 2023-0709, can we therefor cancel either 2023-0709 or 2023-0719?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Sarah Ratter
Administrative Officer
Strategy, Performance & Business Solutions
Orkney Islands Council
Council Offices
School Place
Kirkwall
Orkney
KW15 1NY

Tel: (01856) 873535 Extn 2249

My hours of work are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9 am to 5 pm

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The Ferret Media Ltd

Dear foi,

Please discard the FOI request that was made on 30th June, this did not have accurate information and therefore the newer request contains clarifications and applicant names etc.

Yours sincerely,
Tiegan Batchelor
The Ferret Media Ltd

foi, Orkney Islands Council

1 Attachment

Classification: NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Request for Information

 

I refer to your email dated 4 July 2023 and received on 4 July 2023; our
reference is FOI 2023-0719.

 

I am pleased to give the information you requested and hope that it meets
your requirements.

 

1. How many people have registered to become a foster carer in the last 3
years? and of this number, how many have quit within 2 years of being
registered?

See attached spreadsheet

 

2. What is the average annual cost per young person in residential care of
looking after them in residential placements in the council area, compared
with outside the council area? What is the average annual cost per young
person in residential care of looking after them in placements in the
council area, compared with outside the council area?

See attached spreadsheet

 

3. How many children that are looked after by the council and in
residential care placements in the council area are in accommodation
provided by third-party providers? Please provide the address of each
facility, the name of each third-party provider, the total amount paid to
each provider and the number of young people placed with each provider.

See attached spreadsheet

 

4. How many children that are looked after by the council and in
residential care placements outside the council area are in accommodation
provided by third-party providers? Please provide the address of each
facility, the name of each third-party provider, the total amount paid to
each provider and the number of young people placed with each provider.

See attached spreadsheet - note we have not provided the name of the
placement provider or their addresses

As some of these figures are low, disclosure of this information would be
unfair for the purpose of the first data protection principle and is
exempt in terms of s.38(1)(b) read in conjunction with s.38(2A)(a) of the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. As such we have removed some
of the answers to the questions asked. We hope you understand our
position.

 

Under FOISA, if you are dissatisfied with our response, you may ask the
Council to review its handling of your request. If you wish to do this,
you should make your request for review within 40 working days of
receiving this email. Please make your request for review to Service
Manager (Governance), Council Offices, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney,
KW15 1NY or email to [Orkney Islands Council request email]. Your request must be in permanent
form (letter, email, audio tape etc) and should state:

 

That you are asking for a review of this decision, and

Why you are unhappy with the response you have received.

 

We will issue a full response to your request for review within 20 working
days of our receiving it.

 

Where the outcome of the review fails to resolve the matter to your
complete satisfaction, you then have the right to apply to the Scottish
Information Commissioner for a decision. You have six months in which to
do so following receipt of our review outcome – see
www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal.

 

Regards

 

Paul Kesterton

Information Governance Officer

Strategy, Performance & Business Solutions

Orkney Islands Council, Council Offices, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY

Telephone: 01856 873535 Extension: 2241

www.orkney.gov.uk

 

 

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