Children in Care - Baseline of Need, Spend and Overspend with Mitigation Proposals
This report provides a baseline assessment of the Children in Care (CiC) position at the end of Quarter 3 (December 2025) and sets out the mitigations already in train and further invest-to-save proposals.
CiC numbers have continued to rise to 628 (84.5 per 10,000), an increase of 13% (73 children) since Q4 2024/25. Forecast CiC expenditure for 2025/26 is £53.27m, c.11% (£5.4m) above budget, driven by rising demand and the increasing complexity and cost of provision.
The service has strengthened demand management and cost control through Early Help, the Reunification Team, employment of permanent Alternatively Qualified Practitioners, “It Takes a Family” (ITAF) and Mockingbird models, as well as the Creative Care Panel. To accelerate impact from 2026/27, an Outline Business Case proposes a Children in Care Transformation Programme (phase 1 investment £500k) comprising a full-system review and a CiC Strategy, with anticipated part-year savings of c.£1m in 2026/27.