Looked After Children and International Kinship Placements

The request was refused by Norfolk County Council.

Children and Families Across Borders

Dear [local authority],

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

• The total number of Looked After Children under your local authority care, where family members outside the United Kingdom were explored between January 2015 and December 2017 inclusive.
• The number of Looked After Children under your local authority care that were subsequently placed outside the United Kingdom between January 2015 and December 2017 inclusive.
• The number and type of placement orders used for placing Looked After Children from your local authority care with family members abroad between January 2015 and December 2017 inclusive.

Please note that by ‘where family members outside the United Kingdom were explored’ in the first question, we mean where a family member outside the United Kingdom of a Looked After Child under your local authority care 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:
o children where an assessment of a family member outside the UK was considered but not actually carried out; and
o children where an assessment of a family member outside the UK was carried out.

Please provide the information electronically.

Research conducted by Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB) in 2018 discovered considerable discrepancies in post-placement practices of UK local authorities for children in international kinship placements. 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.

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,

Carolyn Housman

CEO
Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB)
Victoria Charity Centre, 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB
[email address]

Information Management, Norfolk County Council

Good Morning,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Information Request ENQ-372909-H7P8R8

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 received on 23 October 2019.

We have up to 20 working days in which to deal with your request. If we require clarification regarding your request, we will contact you to explain this. The 20 working day period will then start from the day that we receive your clarification.

You will also be informed in advance if there is a charge for supplying copies of the information.

Please also be aware that, if the requested information contains references to any third parties, we may need to consult these individuals about the release of their personal data before making a decision whether or not to release the information to you.

We will also provide an explanation if any information is not released to you.

Should you have any queries regarding your request, please contact the team by email [email address] or by telephone 01603 222661.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Cooper, Business Support Assistant
Information Compliance Team
Dept: 01603 222661
Bay 7-9, Ground Floor, County Hall, Norwich

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Information Management, Norfolk County Council

Dear Ms Housman
 
Freedom of Information Request ENQ- 372909-H7P8R8
 
I refer to your request for information dated 23 October 2019
 
You asked for:
 
•       The total number of Looked After Children under your local
authority care, where family members outside the United Kingdom were
explored between January 2015 and December 2017 inclusive.
 
•       The number of Looked After Children under your local authority
care that were subsequently placed outside the United Kingdom between
January 2015 and December 2017 inclusive.
 
•       The number and type of placement orders used for placing Looked
After Children from your local authority care with family members abroad
between January 2015 and December 2017 inclusive.
 
Our response:
 
Your request has been considered and is refused under section 12 of the
Act.  In accordance with the Act, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice.
 
This is because the cost of locating and retrieving the information
exceeds the "appropriate limit" of £450 as stated in the Freedom of
Information & Data Protection (Appropriate Limit & Fees) Regulations 2004.
 
The information you have requested is not recorded in a reportable format
that would enable this to be retrieved. We would only hold these details
within the case notes of each individual case. This would mean that we
would have to manually review every case record, for each of the years of
your request, and this would be huge undertaking, taking in excess of 18
hours of officer time.
 
You may wish to refine and resubmit your request so that it reduces the
cost of locating and retrieving the information to within the "appropriate
limit".  Please contact me if you would like some advice on refining your
request. 
 
If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your request you have the
right of appeal through the Council’s internal review procedure by setting
out the grounds of your appeal in writing to:
 
[email address]
or Information Compliance Team
Room 043
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH
 
An appeal should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of this
notice and should be identified as "FOI Appeal".
 
If you are dissatisfied after pursuing the complaints procedure, you may
apply to the Information Commissioner under Section 50 of the Act for a
decision whether your request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of Part I of the Act.  Refer to the ICO
Website at: [1]https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ for advice on how to report a
concern.  Or you can write to them at:
 
First Contact Team
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane, Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
 
Yours sincerely
 
Bev Whittaker, Information Compliance Officer 
Information Management 
Tel: 01603 638017 | Dept: 01603 222661
Bays 7,8 & 9, Ground Floor, South Wing, County Hall, Martineau Lane,
Norwich 
  
 
 
 

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