KCC - Statistics on LAC ICO RUN FOSTER ADOPT
Dear Kent County Council,
Thank you for accepting my FOI Request. I would like the following information:
For each year: 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
The number of Looked After Children, by gender (male / female / other)
1) who left Local Authority Care
2) where a County Court ordered the discharge of care
3) where a District Court ordered the discharge of care
4) where the High Court ordered the discharge of care
5) where the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal or higher Court ordered discharge of care
6) where an ICO expired and was not renewed
7) where the Local Authority withdraw an ICO
8) returned by Local Authority to their birth parents
9) returned of their own choice to their birth parents
10) returned to extended family of their own choice
11) returned to extended family of the Local Authorities Choice
12) did not return to their birth parents by the Local Authorities choice
13) did not return to their birth parents by their own choice
14) actively sought out their parents during care
15) before leaving care, had no contact with their birth parents
a) for part or the whole of 1 month
b) for 2 to 4 months
c) for 5 to 6 months
d) for 6 to 10 months
e) for 1 year
f) for most of 2 years
16) ran away from foster care
17) ran away from adoptive parents
18) ran away from birth parents
19) ran away from extended family
20) when running away, returned to birth parents
21) when running away, returned to extended family
22) when running away, returned to a previous foster carers
23) did not wish to return to the care immediately before running away
24) placed into foster care
a) within the Local Authority Area
b) in an immediately joining Local Authority Area
c) outside the Local Authority or Adjoining Area, but within the UK
d) outside the UK
25) adopted
a) within the Local Authority Area
b) an immediately adjoining Local Authority Area
c) outside the immediate and adjoining areas but within the UK
d) outside the UK
26) made a claim that the child was at any time during or after being in care
a) physically abused within Local Authority care
b) emotionally abused within Local Authority care
c) sexually abused within Local Authority care
d) neglected within Local Authority care
27) died whilst in care
28) died from self harm whilst in care that was not a characteristic of the child prior to care
29) died from self harm whilst in care that was a characteristic of the child prior to care
For children in each of the age groups:
0-4 years
5 years
6 years
7 years
8 years
9 years
10 years
11 years
12 years
13 years
14 years
15 years
16 years
17 years or older
Yours faithfully,
Leslie Target
Dear Ms Target,
Thank you for your email below.
Kent County Council acknowledges your request for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. Assuming KCC holds this information, we
will endeavour to supply the data to you as soon as possible but no later
than 17th January 2011 (20 working days from date of receipt).
We will advise you as soon as possible if we do not hold this information
or if there are exemptions to be considered and/or any costs for providing
the information. Please quote our reference - FOI/10/1485 - in any
communication regarding this particular request.
Best regards
Corporate Access to Information Team, Chief Executive's Department
Kent County Council, Legal & Democratic Services, Room B.48, Sessions
House, County Hall, Maidstone. ME14 1XQ.
Tel: 01622 696265 or 01622 694261 - Fax: 01622 696075
[1]http://www.kent.gov.uk/your_council/have...
Dear Mr Target
Thank you for your request for information made under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
We estimate that to extrapolate and collate the information you require
would involve more than 18 hours work, which at the £25 hourly rate set
by the Ministry of Justice, would exceed the £450 cost limit. Therefore,
under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we are not
obliged to comply with your request and are exercising our right to refuse
to deal with all of the questions.
However we have answered the questions that we could within the time
frame.
Question 1, the best place to look for figures relating to numbers of
children who have left local authority care is on the statistical first
releases. These can be found at the following publicly available
websites.
2006/2007 -
[1]http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
2007/2008 -
[2]http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
2008/2009 -
[3]http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
2009/2010 -
[4]http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
On all of these are various tables. On the 2009/2010 LAD1 table there is
a breakdown of each Local Authorities figures for children who have left
care over the last 5 years. Other tables to look out for are LAD2, LAD3
and and LAD6, which give breakdowns of the gender and ages of the children
leaving care and the reasons children left care. Amongst the reasons
listed are "Adopted" and "Child Died" and so this should answer Questions
25 and 27 also.
Q16, Q17, Q18, Q19 and Q24a, b, c, and d. Please see the attached
spreadsheet. Because of the age and gender breakdowns we have had to
suppress some really small numbers to avoid individual children being
identified. Other numbers have been rounded up to the nearest 10 for the
same reasons. This follows the same protocols that the DfE have used in
the Statistical First Releases in the above links.
2. We do not hold statistics in a way which could assist with this
particular question and explain why:
When Legal Services are instructed to act for Children's Services in
respect of an application to Court a paper file is opened and information
is also recorded on an electronic database. Only basic information is
entered onto the electronic database and this includes the
child's/children's names, the social worker, area office and work type.
If the file is opened to advise in relation to an application for the
discharge of a Care Order this would be recorded as the work type at that
time. We could therefore identify the numbers of files opened under the
work type for discharge of a care order for those years requested but this
would not give accurate data as to the actual numbers of care orders
discharged. There are several reasons for this.
i. Whilst the database would confirm that a file was opened regarding an
application for a discharge of a care order it cannot be confirmed,
without looking at the paper file, whether the application was actually
made following that advice.
ii. If an application for discharge was made it cannot be confirmed,
without looking at the paper file, whether the application was successful
at the final hearing or whether it was withdrawn or varied during the
course of the proceedings. Basically, the paper file would have to be
examined to confirm the final order made in relation to that child/those
children.
iii. Applications for other Orders have the effect of discharging a Care
Order. For example, a parent of a child subject to a Care Order may apply
for a Residence Order. A file opened by Legal Services would be opened
under the work type for advice relating to a Residence Order. If, at the
final hearing, the Court orders a Residence Order be made, the Court would
also order the Care Order be discharged as the making of a Residence Order
effectively discharges the Care Order. There are other applications which
would have a similar effect.
iv. The database would not indicate the level of court dealing with an
application so again the paper files would have to be examined to
determine whether or not the matter was a County Court/Family Proceedings
Court/ High Court case.
28 - We have been advised that we do not hold this information.
29 - We have been advised that we do not hold this information.
If you are unhappy with this response, and believe KCC has not complied
with legislation, please ask for a review by following our complaints
process; details can be found at this link
[5]http://www.kent.gov.uk/council-and-democ...
on our website. Please quote reference FOI/10/1485
If you still remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you can
appeal to the Information Commissioner, who oversees compliance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. Details of what you need to do, should
you wish to pursue this course of action, are available from the
Information Commissioner*s website
[6]http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/freedom...
Regards
Michelle Hunt
Access to Information Co-ordinator
Information Governance
Children, Families & Education Directorate
Kent County Council
Room 2.71, Sessions House
Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1XQ
External: 01622 696692
Internal: 7000 6692
Email: [7][email address]
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