Description:It costs more to place a child in the care of a local authority than it does to send a child to a top boarding school, and there are substantial variations in costs both between and within authorities.This book gets to the bottom of the costs of care and provides an insight into how these variations in cost relate to differences in children's needs, and most importantly, whether higher costs reflect better services and better outcomes for children."Costs and Consequences for Children Placed Away from Home" draws from new original research, and considers the implications for best practice and future policy. It also features information about a newly pioneered resource: a fully workable decision analysis model designed for use in local authorities which uses historical data for each child to calculate the probable cost consequences of difference placement choices.This book sheds light on how to calculate the financial and social costs of care, and will be invaluable to both social work managers and policy makers working in children's services." The Child Welfare Outcomes" series draws on current research and policy debates to help social work managers and policy makers understand and improve outcomes of services for children and young people in need. Taking an evidence-based approach, these books include children's own experiences as well as analysis of costs and effectiveness in their assessment of interventions, and provide guidance on how to develop more effective policy, practice and training.