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ROI calculator for local authorities

The cost of doing nothing

One prevented placement breakdown pays for BFCA many times over. When a foster placement breaks down, a child is often moved into residential care, at roughly 6× the weekly cost. Investing in carer training and support that keeps placements stable costs a fraction of a single breakdown.

Work out your saving
26%of foster placements break down (34% for adolescents)
£4,153weekly cost of a residential placement, vs £661 in foster care
~£182kextra cost per year when one child escalates from foster to residential care

The financial case

Prevention is a fraction of the cost

The financial case is simple: prevention costs a fraction of a breakdown.

1 · Cost of one breakdown
£181,584

per child, per year (escalation to residential)

  • Residential vs foster placement differential
  • Emergency and agency placement premiums
  • Extra social-worker and admin time
  • Poorer outcomes, longer time in care
2 · Cost of BFCA
£8,383

wraparound service, per child, per year

  • Culturally informed carer training
  • Wraparound support and advocacy
  • Retention of experienced carers
  • Fewer escalations and moves
3 · Net saving
£173,201

if just one breakdown is prevented

  • Direct placement-cost avoidance
  • Budget redirected to frontline need
  • Better stability for the child
  • Compounding savings each year

Weekly cost: foster care vs residential care

BFCA wraparound service£161 / week
Foster placement£661 / week
Residential children's home£4,153 / week

Source: Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU), University of Kent. A residential place costs roughly £182,000 more per year than a foster placement, which is the core of every avoidable escalation.

Calculator

Work out your saving

Enter the size of your carer cohort and how many breakdowns you think better support could prevent each year. The figures update as you type.

Change the cost assumptions
Net saving to your authority, per year£0
Cost avoided£0
BFCA investment£0
Return on every £10×
Pays for itself in0 days

Cost avoided = breakdowns prevented × (residential − foster weekly cost) × 52 weeks. These are estimates to support planning, not a guarantee of savings.

Every breakdown avoided is a child who stays home

Even if BFCA prevented only one placement breakdown across a whole cohort of carers, the investment returns many times over. Every breakdown avoided is a child who keeps their home, school and relationships, and a six-figure saving to the authority.

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Sources and assumptions

Foster (£661/wk) and residential (£4,153/wk) unit costs: PSSRU, University of Kent, via GOV.UK Children's Social Care Market Study and CYP Now. Placement breakdown prevalence (26% overall; 34% adolescents): meta-analysis, Children and Youth Services Review. Placement instability (10% of looked-after children had 3+ placements in a year): GOV.UK, Children Looked After in England 2024–25. Annual escalation figure = (residential − foster weekly cost) × 52 weeks. Figures are conservative and editable.