councils in England spend more than a £1bn a year on caring for fewer than 4,900 children. It calculates that councils now spend an average of £4,000 a week to place one child in a home, several times what it could cost to educate them at some of Britain’s leading public schools.

WTF are they doing spending that kind of money and then not demanded the highest qualities of care.

Although my limited experience of councils means in a way I’m not surprised, but I want to see the officials responsible disciplined – how else can we make then care?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/revealed-private-equity-firms-are-making-millions-out-of-failing-childrens-care-homes–yet-care-for-vulnerable-is-unacceptable-8815656.html

Councils fail children in care

would hardly be news these days though.

I think it is appropriately pointing out another privatisation failure, where profit is placed FAR ahead of people and taxpayers money once again being pocketed in large quantities by Private enterprise.

It’s Government legislation that restricts the Government from acting. Also, if someone wants to open a care home, they don’t have to inform the local council.

another privatisation failure, where profit is placed FAR ahead of people

A bit of a contradiction there, if profit has come before people how can that represent a “privatisation failure” ?

It is generally agreed that the drive to maximise profit is the most important goal of a private company/private sector.

Ernie 🙄

councils in England spend more than a £1bn a year on caring for fewer than 4,900 children

Yet the NSPCC website says ~70,000 children were looked after in care last year.

BBC link with similar numbers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19712326

Statistics. They’re confusing.

there could easily be 70,000 children in care, but it seems (according to this story) the £1bn pa is spent on just 4,000 of them

You might well roll your eyes El-bent, but since when has the private sector been excepted to put people before profit ?

You are Sheldon Cooper and I claim my five pounds.

Yet the NSPCC website says ~70,000 children were looked after in care last year.

Yeah I heard that 4,900 figure mentioned on the tv and thought that sounds totally unfeasible. My next thought was if it is true then there must be a lot of children who should be in care but aren’t.