10 October 2023
Your request
I submit the following request for information under the Freedom of Information legislation regarding placements of Looked After Children where your local authority has corporate parenting responsibilities.
- In total, how many Looked After children for whom your Local Authority is the corporate parent:
- moved from one placement to a different placement between 18 December 2022 and 3 January 2023
- became a Looked After Child between 18 December 2022 and 3 January 2023
- How many Looked After children for whom your Local Authority was the corporate parent, moved between 18 December 2022 and 3 January 2023 to:
- a placement that was more than 20 miles from either their home or their last placement
- a placement that was 20 miles or less from their home or their last placement;
- a placement for which the distance from home or their last placement is not known or recorded.
Our response
1.
a) 9 Children had a placement move
b) 8 Children
2.
a) We are unable to provide precise figures when these are five or less due to the risk that individuals will be identified, as we are required to protect their identity under the Data Protection Act
In such circumstances sections 40(2) and (3) of the Freedom of Information Act apply. In this case, our view is that disclosure would breach the first data protection principle.
This states that personal data should be processed fairly and lawfully. It is the fairness aspect of this principle which, in our view, would be breached by disclosure. In such circumstances section 40 confers an absolute exemption on disclosure. There is, therefore, no public interest test to apply.
b) 6
c) as 2)a