I would like the numbers of children in care in-house and placed in IFA’s separately for the most recent date you have the information available and the current weekly costs for both either as a whole or an average per child cost
Figures taken on 05/07/2017.
- In House – 328
- Independent fostering agencies (IFA’S) – 163
The current 2017/18 fee for in house foster parents (i.e. the pay foster parent would receive)
£100.03 or £150.01 weekly depending on their level of experience
The current 2017/18 amount given for basic fostering allowances.
£143.29 to £247.24 weekly depending on the age of the child
Fees paid to Independent Fostering Agencies are determined by those providers. We do hold that information, however:
- Disclosure of those rates may provide competitive advantage and prejudice the commercial interests of the agencies involved.
- Disclosure may also prejudice the interests of Devon County Council as fostering placement fees may be increased which could result in reduced value for money to the Council and the people it serves.
Therefore, we are exempting this information from disclosure under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act – Commercial Confidentiality.
Individual providers may publish their rates on their own websites.