FOI Request - Safeguarding and Accommodation Costs

Request 101002053945

1/ The number of safeguarding alerts which have been triggered concerning children in children's homes over the last 4 full financial years (including 2017/18) broken down by the following:
a) in total, b) child sexual exploitation safeguarding alerts, c) sexual abuse safeguarding alerts, d) child criminal exploitation safeguarding alerts (frequently 'county lines')

2/ The number of safeguarding alerts which have triggered an investigation under Organised/Complex Abuse procedures concerning children’s homes and their staff over the last 4 full financial years (including 2017/18). Organised/ Complex Abuse is defined as abuse involving one or more abusers and a number of related or non-related abused children. 

3/ Over the last financial year (April 2017- March 2018), on how many occasions where looked after children went missing and were then found, were they found to have been:
a) sexually assaulted or exploited while they were missing
b) involved in the sale of drugs while they were missing

Please include all known incidences. 

4/ Please provide the highest amount paid on all services provided to an individual Looked After Child in the last financial year (2017/18)? 

5/ Please provide the highest amount paid on semi-independent accommodation for an individual child for the last financial year (2017/18)?  

This request refers to children's homes only apart from question 5.

Response 27-02-2019

1) We don't have detail regarding answers to Q1 as this is not information we have recorded. This is therefore exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act - Information not held. 

2) We don't have detail regarding answers to Q2 as this is not information we have recorded. This is therefore exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act - Information not held.

3) Most of this information will be produced by Independent Return interviews which are conducted after children in care go missing. The findings are shared with the local authority when produced by a different authority on their behalf. Please see this link for more information:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208528/Statutory_guidance_on_children_who_run_away_or_go_missing_from_home_or_care_consultation_-_final.pdf

This answer is therefore exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act - Information not held. 

4)  £302,737