Comparative unit costs of foster care

When a local authority asserts that its own ‘in-house’ unit cost of foster care is substantially lower than that of an independent fostering agency, the data informing this comparison is likely to require closer inspection. Evidence collected for NAFP suggests that unit cost comparisons are often materially flawed. This briefing lists the main areas where the comparison goes wrong and suggests actions that may be taken to enable more accurate comparative cost calculations to be made.