‘Looked after’ costs are queried

Rural councillor Ian Muirhead questioned the “massive increase” in money paid out to external providers for residential care for Looked After Children.

He said: “Especially in my ward there’s a lot of these residential care homes and I notice these care home providers appear to be able to pay double the market rate for the property and spend massive amounts refurbishing.

“It concerns me if we are getting good value for our money or not.”

Marie Valente, senior manager for children and families, replied : “The children in these homes are regularly reviewed and we look at how the children are faring and outcomes for them. We are working more closely with commissioning colleagues on costs.

“When looking at placements we are looking at the cheapest option but also at whether it is the best option for the children. We are looking at pulling away from this sort of model but not because of the cost.

“We have control when children are under home supervision and they have personalised care plans but if they go back to the Children’s Hearing for example they can make recommendations that may not agree with ours. The case can also go before a sheriff and we have to pay for the type of care recommended, which is not necessarily what we would want.”

Councillors heard that children in residential homes across Stirling were not necessarily from the council area, and were being paid for by other local authorities.

Care placement costs in England were said to be “a lot higher” than in Scotland.

Councillor Muirhead added, however: “I do think there’s an issue about the cost of these placements and about early interventions so we don’t get to that stage.”