English councils pay £1m per child for places in private children’s homes

Private providers accused of making obscene' profits out of some of society's most vulnerable children

• How can it cost 20k a week to look after one child?'

Councils in England are paying more than 1m a year for a single place in privately run children's homes, with operators citing the cost of living crisis as a reason for raising their prices, the Guardian has learned.

Private providers have been accused of making obscene" profits out of some of society's most vulnerable children, as local authorities reveal they are being quoted as much as 50,000 a week (2.6m a year) for one child.