How much will it cost? Characteristics of the most expensive residential placements for adults with learning disabilities

It is widely known that a relatively small number of very expensive, often out‐of‐area, placements consume a relatively large proportion of the social care budget. Valuing People Now (DH, 2009) acknowledged that too often people are sent to expensive out‐of‐area placements. There is, however, little research in this area and no routinely collected information. In this collaborative piece of work between the Valuing People Now Team, the Challenging Behaviour National Strategy Group and the Tizard Centre we aimed to identify the characteristics of the highest‐cost placements in the South‐East of England.