Expenditure on Unregistered U16 Children's Placements and Agency Providers
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the Council's expenditure on placements for children and young people under the age of 16 during the 2025/26 financial year (to date). Specifically, I am seeking information regarding placements that are unregistered with Ofsted (often referred to as "unregulated" or "emergency bespoke arrangements") where staffing was provided by recruitment or staffing agencies. Please provide the following information: 1. Total Expenditure: The total amount spent by Children's Services on unregistered/unregistered-bespoke placements for children under the age of 16. 2. Agency Breakdown (Property vs. No Property): Of the total spend identified in Question 1, please itemize the spend with recruitment/staffing agencies according to the following two categories: o Category A (Staffing Only): Total spend where the agency provided staffing only (e.g., to support a child in a council-owned property, a hospital setting, air bnb or a pre-existing foster/residential placement). o Category B (Staffing & Property): Total spend where the agency provided both the staffing AND the accommodation (e.g., the agency provided private property as part of the "wraparound" crisis package). 3. Supplier List: A list of every recruitment or staffing agency used for these U16 placements in the 2025/26 period, and the total amount paid to each. 4. Team/Budget Line: Please confirm which service area or budget team this spend was authorized under (e.g., Placements Budget, Social Work Staffing Budget, or Emergency/Crisis Fund). If the cost of providing a full list would exceed the limit under Section 12 of the FOI Act, please prioritize providing the totals for Category A and Category B.