The amount Stoke-on-Trent City Council paid to third-party and external children's care providers surged while services have been under government intervention. 

Children's services in the city have been subject to a series of government objectives since a damning Ofsted inspection in 2019 uncovered multiple failings that were leaving vulnerable young people at risk of harm. 

On Monday February 10 this direction was revoked following a report which confirmed sustained improvements.

Now a response to a Freedom of information request has revealed the details of increasing costs the council have paid to third-party or external children's care providers for children who require placements in accommodation settings. 

According to the FOI data, the projected amount the council will have paid to third-party and external children's care providers and organisations stands at £61,431,711 for the 2024/25 financial year in comparison to £24,656,253 for the 2018/19 financial year. 

There was a notable rise of £14,452,936 between the 2021/22 and 2022/22 financial years and costs continued to increase.

The FOI also revealed a rise in the costs related to agency staff in its children's services with a rise from £2,240,033 in the 2018/19 financial year to £9,502,517 in 2023/24. 

Stoke-on-Trent City Council requested £16.8 million of "exceptional financial support" (EFS) from the Government in its budget proposals after receiving £42.2 million last year. 

And there have been previous concerns raised by opposition councillors that a large proportion of the EFS will go towards funding children's placements in the next financial year but the numbers of children in care is decreasing. 

The number of children looked after by the council is now at the lowest for over 18 months according to the latest report which recommended lifting the government's intervention in child services. 

The cost to the council per child per week stands at a forecast average of £1,327 for the 2024/25 financial year which ends on 31 March. 

Sarah Hill, cabinet member for children's services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "We took decisive action to transform our services following an 'Inadequate' Ofsted rating in 2019. 

"Initially, this meant relying on agency staff to drive urgent change. Now, with a much improved system, we've reduced this reliance, cutting agency numbers since March 2024 and planning further reductions next year. 

"The fact that we have recently exited Government intervention for children's services shows that this transformation was successful.

"Social worker caseloads are down, allowing for more focused, effective support for families. A renewed emphasis on early intervention means fewer cases escalating to crisis point.

"Despite rising placement costs nationwide, Stoke-on-Trent does not have an unusually high number of children in external residential care - just 10%, in carefully considered placements. 

"After years of increasing numbers, we're now seeing a drop in the number of children in care, with around 100 fewer in the system.

"This shift comes from strengthening voluntary sector support and deeper collaboration with partners - helping more children stay safe at home and, over time, reducing reliance on costly external placements."