Caught up in the care crisis

摘要

Some 75% of local authorities are exceeding their budgets for children's services because of the extra costs of care and increased demand. Providers record demand for residential placements, yet the Ofsted-registered number of places showed a slight decline in 2017. The upshot is a shortage of beds. In some recent individual situations there has been no suitable placement available. Shortages of places mean relationships between authorities and providers are becoming adversarial, mutually suspicious and toxic.