Publication: Supporting children and families returning home from care: counting the costs, NSPCC
What are the main points?
> Children sent back into care after a failed return home, costs more than £300 million a year, research found. The cost of providing support packages and services for families in England to reduce children returning to care is £67 million, almost five times smaller.
> The cost of providing support to a family when a child returns home starts from £1644 (for a family with a low level of need for six months), with an average cost of £7857. Yet it costs an estimated £105,804 on average for each child who returns to care.
> In 2022-23, 27% of children in care returned home. However, 12% re-entered into care after three months, 20% after a year and 35% after six years.
> Keeping support in place for a minimum of six months following a child’s return home reduces the likelihood of the reunification becoming unstable and breaking down.
EXPERT THOUGHT
NSPCC senior policy officer, Eavan McKay said: ‘It can be heartbreaking for a child when a return home fails. In order to keep more families together safely, tackle the unsustainable amount of children entering the care system and help alleviate the spiralling cost of children’s social care, the government must prioritise investment in reunification support as a priority.’
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