The chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection has questioned whether placing challenging teenagers in residential homes is a good use of money.
Denise Platt said the number of children's homes for one or two childrenhas increased significantly during the past year. But a place in achildren's home can be 1,000 a week more expensive than a fosterplacement. She asked: "Are we putting our money in the right place?"
Her question was prompted by a Fostering Network lecture on Nancy Hazel,who in 1975 set up a pioneering fostering scheme for teenagerspreviously regarded as "unfosterable". The scheme paid carers similaramounts to the cost of providing residential care.
Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the network, said: "Perhaps it'stime services revisited Hazel's messages on the importance of goodtraining, support and pay."
