How much can it cost to care for a child?

[Pale Rider]

Yet again, Paley fails to understand how the world works. This is what happens when you cut public services to the bone, and leave councils (who have a statutory duty to care for these children) at the mercy of the private sector.

Yet again, posters on here think the only answer is yet more 'government money' which harks back to Labour's magic money tree.

This child has a budget of £2m+ a year, with several others not far behind.

It beggars belief that a fraction of that sum could not cover even 'complex needs'.

 

[winjim]

Yet again, posters on here think the only answer is yet more 'government money' which harks back to Labour's magic money tree.

This child has a budget of £2m+ a year, with several others not far behind.

It beggars belief that a fraction of that sum could not cover even 'complex needs'.

I don't think anybody's saying that at all. My interpretation is that:

• We don't know the details of the case.
• None of us are likely to be able to make an accurate judgement into whether the cost is proportionate.
• Involvement of the private sector in this case does not appear to have led to cost savings.
• You can't put a price on a child's life.
• The local authority has to pay whatever rate it is being charged.
• It's thoroughly disingenuous to attempt to put the blame on the local authority as if they should somehow withhold the money and put the child at risk.

And just from a personal point of view, our health, social care and education systems are in such a terrible state that they are unable to provide care and education to children with what you might in the scheme of things refer to as fairly modest additional needs. This is a statement of fact and is absolutely not up for debate.

 

[Rusty Nails]

But the real trick to it is to do exactly what he's done in the OP and put the blame onto the local authority.

While referring sarcastically to the child as "little treasure".

 

[All uphill]

This thread reminds me of a child I briefly worked with about twenty years ago.

Profoundly deaf, a victim of abuse who had a recent history of starting fires and made frequent allegations of abuse against their carers.

You can imagine how deafness and neglect had led to vulnerability and abuse. You can imagine how abuse led to arson and allegations.

How do you keep this child and their carers safe?

At the time support was pulled in from all agencies so the child would always have two carers, would have a specialist teacher and physical and mental health support. All of this in an environment that could cope with the risk of arson.

Within around six weeks the child was more stable and the level of support could be eased back.

Try asking a private provider to take on something similar and you wouldn't get much change out of £2m at an annualised rate.

 

[AndyRM]

This thread reminds me of a child I briefly worked with about twenty years ago.

Profoundly deaf, a victim of abuse who had a recent history of starting fires and made frequent allegations of abuse against their carers.

You can imagine how deafness and neglect had led to vulnerability and abuse. You can imagine how abuse led to arson and allegations.

How do you keep this child and their carers safe?

At the time support was pulled in from all agencies so the child would always have two carers, would have a specialist teacher and physical and mental health support. All of this in an environment that could cope with the risk of arson.

Within around six weeks the child was more stable and the level of support could be eased back.

Try asking a private provider to take on something similar and you wouldn't get much change out of £2m at an annualised rate.

I know of very similar tales. Heartbreaking stuff.

 

[All uphill]

I know of very similar tales. Heartbreaking stuff.

Which is why it is better all round to have capacity for early intervention. Sure start etc.

 

[Bromptonaut]

@Pale Rider youngsters with truly complex needs require staff in attendance and in number 24/7/365.

The lack of accom for them, and the cost of what is available is the subject of many recent cases in the courts. Here's one:

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content...16-RE-X-Judgment-25-January-2022-Approved.pdf

I don't think most of us, and I include myself in that number, have any real conception of just how difficult these cases are to manage.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Without details of the "complex car needs" then all comments saying it is too much are running on a lack of data

If the needs are complex medical needs then they could be talking about 2 fully qualified nurses on duty 24 hours a day plus care assistants
add in insurance and possibly monitoring equipment and it mounts up pretty quickly

 

[BoldonLad]

The public sector care system is cut to the bone so the local authority has to spend the money. That's two separate entities being played off each other for political reasons.

??

 

[All uphill]

@Pale Rider youngsters with truly complex needs require staff in attendance and in number 24/7/365.

The lack of accom for them, and the cost of what is available is the subject of many recent cases in the courts. Here's one:

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content...16-RE-X-Judgment-25-January-2022-Approved.pdf

I don't think most of us, and I include myself in that number, have any real conception of just how difficult these cases are to manage.

I agree.

At the risk of being a pedant I'd just want to suggest

just how difficult these cases are to manage.

Is better said as

"just how difficult it is to support and protect people who have previously been failed".

Sorry.

 

[winjim]

??

You queried how 'they' could be described as 'cut to the bone' when 'they' are spending 'prodigious amounts'.

'They' are two separate agencies. The cutting of the one forces the spending by the other.

 

[BoldonLad]

You queried how 'they' could be described as 'cut to the bone' when 'they' are spending 'prodigious amounts'.

'They' are two separate agencies. The cutting of the one forces the spending by the other.

If they have been "cut to the bone" they would not have it to spend, clearly, the money is being found to pay up.

 

[winjim]

If they have been "cut to the bone" they would not have it to spend, clearly, the money is being found to pay up.

Two agencies. It's two different agencies. Two. More than one. Plural. Two.


And yes, the LA has also been cut to the bone. So something somewhere is going without to pay for it. But that's not what I was saying.

 

[Bromptonaut]

This came up as similar on another thread.

Reading again it's not just people, in number, 24/7/365 it's also the building in which those people work.

Land plus bricks/mortar and keeping the place in one piece don't come cheap in the UK.