To think this is a shocking waste of taxpayer’s money??

Many but not all.
I also think they need to cap what is paid to taxi drivers - they can't be allowed keep charging these amounts just because these kids have an SEN tag. Imagine if disabled cabs cost x5 as much just because they have space for a wheelchair?

Because many of these young people can't sit on a bus with other children or because a bus would mean that the first children on the bus would potentially have a bus ride of over an hour to collect the others.

That would be joined up thinking though. Too hard. They're all too busy profiteering. I'm in Kent and Reform are currently following the Tory trend of selling off large buildings to London Boroughs to home families on benefits. Again. Gentrifying London and profiteering from the poor hasn't stopped on Reform's watch.

Yes, the school near us is always packed with taxis outside waiting like vultures.

@Ratafia agree with you, no investment and all short term thinking

The councils pay ridiculous amounts to taxi firms just to take them to school, to the point where here a taxi driver is earning nearly double what a graduate is likely to earn.

I know a black cab driver who does this, he doesn’t really bother working evenings and weekends now as the school trip is so profitable. I live near a special school and it’s a line up of cabs dropping off, why not a school bus?

Also dislike when teenagers of.a certain age are referred to a children. He is 14 and not a child.

Of course 14 year olds are children. Ridiculous thing to say.

This is why it really annoys me that so much blame for the costs of providing for SEND needs is put on supposedly greedy parents without anyone looking at more sensible and cost-efficient ways of providing support. If we had more good state-maintained special schools, NHS therapeutic placement, council-owned children's homes etc, they could keep control of costs and they wouldn't reach these ridiculous figures. Likewise they blame parents for the costs of transport, yet if councils arranged school transport in-house, banding together for the purpose, they could save a fortune compared with what they are currently spending on private taxi companies.

It’s everything not just vulnerable dc, care for older adults, cost of stuff for schools and hospitals, and a big one is the lack of social housing so money goes to landlords instead.

The cost of anything to do with SEN is ridiculously high. The councils pay ridiculous amounts to taxi firms just to take them to school, to the point where here a taxi driver is earning nearly double what a graduate is likely to earn.
Schools for SEN are £150k a year per pupil IIRC from a previous paper. These are kids who the gov has ignored time and time again with high needs. If your kid isn't classified as high needs there is a huge gap and the gov have now penalised families who try to get their SEN kids educated through the private sector due to the inability of the State sector to accommodate them. No, it didn't start with Labour, but they've financially hit SEN families who have tried to keep their kids in education without changing the system behind it pushing families to use private schools.

At least they are getting refugee families out of those hotel chains the Tories set up, costing us billions and lining the pockets of some Tory Peer no doubt.

This sort of thing (excessive spending) happens ALL the time in public sector OP. Waste everywhere. I cannot see it stopping though.

It feels like a false economy to outsource to the private sector - what’s to stop them putting up the price to whatever they like? This is what worries me about privatising the NHS.

Privatisation of care services was always going to be an uncontrollable money pit, but it fitted the political dogma of the time. Each for him/her self with no sense of community.

Years ago local councils had outdoor centres and care staff from the local children’s homes would take them. Apparently, this cost too much so the answer was to sell them off and farm out care to private, for profit companies. This costs everyone a lot more for the same care.

Send him to Camp Green lake! (Those that have read 'Holes' by Louis Sachar will get this!)

The link doesn't mention his age.

A 14 year old is a child? Not a small child of course but a child, not an adult.

He’s legally a child, and he’s not convicted of a crime and therefore can’t be held in prison. Yes, he’s lucky not to live in the time of borstals and approved schools. You might have seen the report on the horrendous systematic abuse at one such place this week.

Disgraceful on the amount of money.
Lots of unregistered, unqualified people and companies seem to to got onto the private children's home, gravy train, bandwagon.

Especially since the profits for people owning Residential and Care Homes has reduced.

Remember the madness of the Blair Labour Government. Who used to pay for this type of offender to be taken a six month world trip.

Can this teenager not be put onto secure accomodation at a Young Offenders Institute to receive his daily care from.relevant visiting professionals?

Also dislike when teenagers of.a certain age are referred to a children. He is 14 and not a child.

He is lucky he did not live back in the day when Approved Schools and Borstals were par for the course.

Exactly. People have voted for this over and over. People want low taxes, small state? Fine, but the sick, elderly and vulnerable don't vanish. They are still there. The only option then is to kill them off or leave them in utter dickensian penury. Which seems to be certain posters' goal.

But don't be surprised when the ultra capitalist people they've voted in take full advantage for themselves and their kind.

Ironically, we now have a sort of hybrid monster. People are paying tax, not only to the state but to private organisations that charge even more.

The politicians of the past decade and then some have played a blinder. And they're secure in the knowledge that the little people will blame one another.

I'm sure it's not one size fits all. Many children have incredibly complex care needs.
Yes, it's very wrong to make massive profits on other people's "misery" so to speak. That's how capitalist societies work unfortunately.

@Ticklyoctopus This is the outcome of privatised care systems. The "no such thing as society" brigade. It won't get better until it becomes "not for profit," again.

Exactly my thoughts, Allisnotlost1

So if you had cancer, or a stroke, and required surgery, rehabilitation, medication and maybe care at home, while being unable to work for an extended period or maybe ever again, you’d say ‘no thanks, don’t think my contributions will cover it’? If you thought a secure placement would keep your child out of OCG involvement and potentially death or prison, you’d say no? I find that incredible.

@plumclafoutisi wouldn't be so sure about that.

Totally agree, these are usually private companies which charge what they like and the councils have no choice but to use them! The government needs to do more to cap placement costs for the private sector for children and adults!