Briefings: Reports | Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers

Jul 2016 Comparative unit costs of foster care When a local authority asserts that the ‘in-house’ unit cost of foster care is substantially lower than that of an external independent and voluntary sector fostering provider (IFP), the comparison is likely to require closer inspection. Evidence collected for NAFP suggests that unit cost comparisons are often materially flawed. This briefing lists the main areas where the comparison goes wrong and suggests actions that may be taken to question unit cost calculations produced by local authorities.

May 2015 Placement disruption - a review of cases of children in care in England and Wales where stable placements are threatened for financial reasons Over the last several years, members of NAFP have reported cases where, on the face of it, stable placements for children are being disrupted (or that disruption is threatened) for reasons which are not to do with promoting the welfare of the child but appear to be to do with cost saving. Members of NAFP have also reported that Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) were not always challenging local authorities on these kinds of disruptions, and were not always robustly defending the interests of children in care. These reports were anecdotal in nature.

Apr 2015 Achieving the most appropriate placement for every child in care Over the past few years the social care sector has seen an unprecedented focus on the cost of services provided to children in care. In NAFP’s view, this has resulted in too many children in care being placed in placements that fit with the priorities of the placing local authority, rather than the child’s own needs. The relationship between placement choice, outcomes and financial efficiencies has been recognised in a good deal of research3 over the past decade.

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