Jean Soper

It costs more to place a child in the care of a local authority than it does to send a child to a top boarding school, and there are substantial variations in costs both between and within authorities. This book gets to the bottom of the costs of care and provides an insight into how these variations in cost relate to differences in children's needs, and most importantly, whether higher costs reflect better services and better outcomes for children. Costs and Consequences for Children Placed Away from Home draws from new original research, and considers the implications for best practice and future policy. It also features information about a newly pioneered resource: a fully workable decision analysis model designed for use in local authorities which uses historical data for each child to calculate the probable cost consequences of difference placement choices. This book sheds light on how to calculate the financial and social costs of care, and will be invaluable to both social work managers and policy makers working in children's services.

This text offers the ideal approach for economics and business students seeking to understand the mathematics relevant to them. Each chapter demonstrates basic mathematical techniques, while also explaining the economic analysis and business context where each is used. By following the worked examples and tackling the practice problems, students will discover how to use and apply each of these techniques. Now in its second edition, the text features expanded summaries of economic analysis, new sections on matrix algebra and linear programming, and additional demonstrations of economics applications. Demonstrates mathematical techniques while explaining their economic and business applications Engages the reader with numerous worked examples and practice problems Features new sections on matrix algebra and linear programming Includes a companion website with the book, containing the award winning MathEcon software, Excel files, Powerpoint slides, all definitions and 'remember boxes', and additional practice questions