Council spends £1m a year on one child's care

A councillor told a meeting the council was spending "enormous sums of money" on children's care

A council is spending more than £1m a year on the care of a single child, a meeting has been told.

Paul Luckcock, a councillor for Conwy council, told a meeting of its governance and audit committee that it was spending "enormous sums of money" on children's care.

He added that while he was supportive of spending money on children - some of whom self harm, have psychosis or have been abused and neglected, as well as drug and substance problems - he wanted to see "value for money".

Ian Whyte, the meeting's chairman, said he was "taken aback by the sums of money involved".

Mr Luckcock raised the subject of commissioning services, including the council funding children's care, some of which involved paying for childcare for those in England.

He said questioning the funding was a "profound issue" in terms of whether the authority was getting "value for money", adding that he had been told by social services that on "one child alone we are spending over £1m a year".

He said the issue highlighted the importance of looking at spending on childcare services when it came to governance.

It comes after Denbighshire council confirmed it paid £2m a year, or £35,000 a week, for a social care package for a single child, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Luckcock said some children's placements in specialist homes are by court order, adding that the council has an "incredibly robust" accommodation board that challenges the costs.

He also said, where possible, the council was bringing children back from "expensive homes in England" to purpose-built homes.

"Some children have incredibly complex needs - keeping them alive is a challenge," he said.

"Value for money is a specific challenge when some placements are directed by the court," he added.

Conwy council has been asked to comment.