Performance Measurement in Child Care: when a falling boarding out rate should attract congratulation and not castigation

Abstract

Almost every policy pronouncement at central government and local authority level advocates an increase in the proportion of children placed with foster families from among those admitted to care, that is no longer living with their biological or adoptive parents. Every local authority in England has successfully increased this proportion over a ten year period but they are finding it increasingly difficult to do so as child care populations change. This short paper reports how one London borough experienced a fall in its boarding-out proportion over a four year period, but had nevertheless succeeded in finding foster rather than residential placements for a ‘more difficult’ care population. Far from being castigated for its falling boarding-out proportion over this period the authority deserves congratulation.