Council expects to pay £7 million more into Northamptonshire children's trust than it had initially hoped

A council is paying around £2.5 million a year for specialist care for five children as costs for the services continue to soar.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) said it expects to pay £84.3 million into the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) this year – more than £7.6 million than it had initially hoped.

The authority said that a lack of “appropriate places” for children with specialist needs means that “high prices are often being paid by local authorities” around the country.

WNC said key drivers of its anticipated overspends are residential and support accommodation placements, with the council reporting that the top five placements are costing in excess of £10,000 per week. Some children affected must leave their home county to be accommodated at other units some distance away from Northamptonshire.

“There are increasing numbers of children coming into care due to the impact of Covid and the national economic picture… [they] represent a significant financial challenge,” the council states in documents.

The council is seeking to increase its special education needs (SEN) provision within its area by 500 children as part of work currently under way. Another 40 spaces will be available by September.

New SEN provision was opened at Hardingstone Academy last week, which will provide much-needed additional school places for children in Key Stage 2 with social and communication difficulties. A provision for Key Stage 1 learners with special educational needs has also been opened at Castle Academy.

WNC papers show that the council spent about £500,000 with just one specialist provider between September and December 2022. It paid Cambian Childcare £167,700 in September, £62,500 in October, £259,000 in November and £14,500 in December. The provider runs specialist schools in and out of Northamptonshire.

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) said it, too, is struggling with the “market and availability of placements”.

“The placements budget will continue to remain under pressure as it remains extremely volatile, both locally and nationally. [Northamptonshire Children’s Trust] is working on how these pressures can be mitigated in future years,” NNC papers state.