Sadly, around 80% of children's homes in England are now being delivered by for-profit companies, making a total profit of £310m. The top 20 providers were paid £1.63bn last year. Bradford Council pays for 196 children to stay in privately-run homes at an average cost of £312,000 per child per year.
The number of children in care has increased by 25% since 2010. Government statistics show that Local Authorities ran 19% of children's homes in 2018, compared to 23% in 2015.