A recent investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that local authorities in England paid £250m to more than 480 private providers for over 1,800 unlawful placements in the last two years, with more than £40m going to operators linked to known care failures.
In this video interview, LocalGov speaks to Ann Graham about why councils are being forced into these placements despite them being unlawful, and whether the underlying causes are down to funding, capacity, or both.
We explore the financial pressures facing directors of children's services, including cases where individual placements have cost councils more than £1m, and what this means for the sustainability of local authority budgets.
Graham also addresses concerns that public money is going to providers linked to known care failures and sets out what ADCS wants to see from central government – whether that's more funding, tighter regulation of providers, or wider reform of the placements market.
The conversation closes with ADCS's view on the changes needed to ensure every child in care has a safe, appropriate, and lawful place to live.
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