The concept of councils charging for services is hardly an outlandish one. But eyebrows were raised when Worcestershire County Council revealed details of its planned policy to charge for children being taken into care.
Under the plans, which are out for consultation until October, children's services will continue to meet the cost of statutory services such as child protection and adoption, but will use provisions set out in the Children Act 1989 to claw back money from parents where they deem it "reasonable" to cover costs. This will primarily be in situations where a child is "voluntarily" taken into care because their parents cannot accommodate them anymore.
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