In this section: Public services
Kensington and Chelsea: social care spending
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
£122m for Kensington and Chelsea in 2024-25, £829 per resident, +4.6% on a year earlier after inflation. In 2024-25, 40.8% of its long-term adult social care spending went on care homes and 17.8% on home care (England: 46.5% and 17.2%).
Figure as of 23 October 2025. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Department for Education.
Key figures
- £122m2024-25, cash +8.9% on a year earlier
- £829Per resident, 2024-25
- £584Adult social care spending per adult, 2024-25 England: £633
Sources: Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Department for Education.
Over time: cash, real terms and per resident
Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population estimates.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Per resident, 2025-26 prices | Per resident, cash |
|---|---|---|
2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £763 | £561 |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £728 | £542 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £759 | £578 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £811 | £634 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £802 | £659 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £824 | £680 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £770 | £679 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £810 | £752 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £858 | £829 |
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Figure as of 23 October 2025. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Department for Education.
Source: Department of Health and Social Care, Adult social care finance report, England, 2024-25: data tables, published 23 October 2025; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2023-24: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2022-23: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2021-22: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2020-21: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2019-20: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2018-19: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2017-18: data tables; NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Adult social care activity and finance report, England, 2016-17: data tables; Department for Education, LA and school expenditure: Financial year 2024-25 (s251_childrens_young_peoples_services_la_regional_national.csv), published 11 December 2025.
Where it sits, and what is below it
- UK total
- Nation
- Department or service body
- Local body (this level)
- Spending category
- Line or transaction
Kensington and Chelsea
Adult social care (gross current expenditure, from the adult social care finance return) and children’s and young people’s services (gross expenditure, from the section 251 outturn) added together, for the years both returns are published. Both are before income from charges, the NHS and grants; schools are not included.
£122m in 2024-25 (cash); £126m in 2025-26 prices; £829 per resident; +8.9% on a year earlier in cash, +4.6% in real terms.
| Spending category | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adults: care at home and in the community, long-termDetails for Adults: care at home and in the community, long-term | £34m | £35m | — | +24.5% | Department of Health and Social Care | Broken down below |
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Adults: care homes (nursing and residential), long-termDetails for Adults: care homes (nursing and residential), long-term | £23m | £24m | — | +44.7% | Department of Health and Social Care | Broken down below |
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Children: children looked afterDetails for Children: children looked after | £19m | £20m | — | +19.1% | Department for Education | Broken down below |
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Children: safeguarding and social workDetails for Children: safeguarding and social work | £16m | £17m | — | −3.6% | Department for Education | Broken down below |
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Adults: assessment, commissioning, carers, information and preventionDetails for Adults: assessment, commissioning, carers, information and prevention | £13m | £14m | — | −45.0% | Department of Health and Social Care | Line or transaction not published: Published only by primary support reason (for example physical support or learning disability), not by activity. |
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Children: family support, including for disabled childrenDetails for Children: family support, including for disabled children | £10m | £10m | — | −8.5% | Department for Education | Broken down below |
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Children: youth justiceDetails for Children: youth justice | £2m | £2m | — | −7.6% | Department for Education | Line or transaction not published: One line in the return; not split further. |
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Children: services for young peopleDetails for Children: services for young people | £2m | £2m | — | −13.3% | Department for Education | Broken down below |
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Children: children’s centres and other spending on under-5sDetails for Children: children’s centres and other spending on under-5s | £2m | £2m | — | — | Department for Education | Broken down below |
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Adults: short-term care to help people regain independenceDetails for Adults: short-term care to help people regain independence | £1m | £1m | — | −1.6% | Department of Health and Social Care | Line or transaction not published: Published by purpose and primary support reason, not by provider or setting; those tables are not read here. |
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Children: other children and families servicesDetails for Children: other children and families services | £1m | £1m | — | −48.3% | Department for Education | Line or transaction not published: One line in the return; not split further. |
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Adults: care at home and in the community, long-term
£34m in 2024-25 (cash); £35m in 2025-26 prices; +29.6% on a year earlier in cash, +24.5% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Supported livingDetails for Supported living | £11m | £11m | — | +141.5% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Home careDetails for Home care | £10m | £11m | — | +72.3% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Direct paymentsDetails for Direct payments | £7m | £8m | — | +24.1% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Other long-term care in the communityDetails for Other long-term care in the community | £4m | £4m | — | −45.5% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Supported accommodationDetails for Supported accommodation | £2m | £2m | — | −50.6% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Adults: care homes (nursing and residential), long-term
£23m in 2024-25 (cash); £24m in 2025-26 prices; +50.7% on a year earlier in cash, +44.7% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential care homesDetails for Residential care homes | £14m | £15m | — | +56.2% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Nursing homesDetails for Nursing homes | £9m | £10m | — | +29.9% | Department of Health and Social Care | |
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Children: children looked after
£19m in 2024-25 (cash); £20m in 2025-26 prices; +24.0% on a year earlier in cash, +19.1% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential careDetails for Residential care | £7m | £7m | — | +60.8% | Department for Education | |
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Fostering servicesDetails for Fostering services | £4m | £4m | — | +57.9% | Department for Education | |
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Asylum seeker services childrenDetails for Asylum seeker services children | £3m | £3m | — | +20.0% | Department for Education | |
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Short breaks (respite) for looked after disabled childrenDetails for Short breaks (respite) for looked after disabled children | £2m | £2m | — | −25.9% | Department for Education | |
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Adoption servicesDetails for Adoption services | £1m | £1m | — | +2.5% | Department for Education | |
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Leaving care support servicesDetails for Leaving care support services | £1m | £1m | — | −52.6% | Department for Education | |
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Other children looked after servicesDetails for Other children looked after services | £1m | £1m | — | +10.8% | Department for Education | |
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Special guardianship supportDetails for Special guardianship support | £1m | £1m | — | +38.8% | Department for Education | |
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Education of looked after childrenDetails for Education of looked after children | £1m | £1m | — | −1.6% | Department for Education | |
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Children placed with family and friendsDetails for Children placed with family and friends | £0m | £0m | — | — | Department for Education | |
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Children: safeguarding and social work
£16m in 2024-25 (cash); £17m in 2025-26 prices; +0.2% on a year earlier in cash, −3.6% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Social work (including LA functions in relation to child protection)Details for Social work (including LA functions in relation to child protection) | £12m | £12m | — | −5.9% | Department for Education | |
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Commissioning and Children’s Services StrategyDetails for Commissioning and Children’s Services Strategy | £4m | £4m | — | +2.4% | Department for Education | |
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Local Safeguarding Children BoardDetails for Local Safeguarding Children Board | £0m | £0m | — | +65.5% | Department for Education | |
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Children: family support, including for disabled children
£10m in 2024-25 (cash); £10m in 2025-26 prices; −4.4% on a year earlier in cash, −8.5% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Targeted family supportDetails for Targeted family support | £5m | £5m | — | +0.1% | Department for Education | |
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Short breaks (respite) for disabled childrenDetails for Short breaks (respite) for disabled children | £3m | £3m | — | +238.5% | Department for Education | |
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Universal family supportDetails for Universal family support | £2m | £2m | — | −25.8% | Department for Education | |
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Other support for disabled childrenDetails for Other support for disabled children | £0m | £0m | — | −97.9% | Department for Education | |
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Direct paymentsDetails for Direct payments | £0m | £0m | — | — | Department for Education | |
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Children: services for young people
£2m in 2024-25 (cash); £2m in 2025-26 prices; −7.8% on a year earlier in cash, −13.3% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Targeted services for young peopleDetails for Targeted services for young people | £1m | £1m | — | −5.1% | Department for Education | |
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Universal services for young peopleDetails for Universal services for young people | £1m | £1m | — | −23.1% | Department for Education | |
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Children: children’s centres and other spending on under-5s
£2m in 2024-25 (cash); £2m in 2025-26 prices.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other spend on children under 5Details for Other spend on children under 5 | £2m | £2m | — | — | Department for Education | |
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Spend on individual Sure Start Children’s CentresDetails for Spend on individual Sure Start Children’s Centres | £0m | £0m | — | — | Department for Education | |
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Spend for services delivered through Sure Start Children’s CentresDetails for Spend for services delivered through Sure Start Children’s Centres | £0m | £0m | — | — | Department for Education | |
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Spend on management costs relating to Sure Start Children’s CentresDetails for Spend on management costs relating to Sure Start Children’s Centres | £0m | £0m | — | — | Department for Education | |
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Cash is as published. Real terms are in 2025-26 prices, using HM Treasury’s GDP deflator. Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population for the area the body serves. Changes compare the same body in consecutive years.
What is recorded alongside the money
These figures are published beside the funding, not as its result. Demand, geography, recording practice and many other things differ between areas and change over time; none of these charts shows cause and effect.
| Measure | Kensington and Chelsea | England | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
Adult social care spending per adultDetails for Adult social care spending per adult | £584 | £633 | 2024-25 |
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Share of long-term care spending on care homesDetails for Share of long-term care spending on care homes | 40.8% | 46.5% | 2024-25 |
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Share of long-term care spending on home careDetails for Share of long-term care spending on home care | 17.8% | 17.2% | 2024-25 |
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Children’s services spending per childDetails for Children’s services spending per child | £1,672 | £1,197 | 2024-25 |
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Children looked after per 10,000 childrenDetails for Children looked after per 10,000 children | 47 per 10,000 children | 67 per 10,000 children | 2025 |
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Spending per looked-after childDetails for Spending per looked-after child | 182,400 £ a year | 109,500 £ a year | 2024-25 |
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Hourly rate paid for home careDetails for Hourly rate paid for home care | 22.69 £ an hour | 23.56 £ an hour | 2024-25 |
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Adult social care vacancy rateDetails for Adult social care vacancy rate | 16.7% | 6.2% | 2025-26 |
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Gross current expenditure on adult social care over residents aged 18 and over (the publisher’s population), England. Upper-tier councils: counties, unitaries, metropolitan and London boroughs.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £407 | £410 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £428 | £426 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £459 | £444 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £448 | £478 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £470 | £494 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £506 | £529 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £526 | £592 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £584 | £633 |
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Figure as of 23 October 2025. Source: Department of Health and Social Care.
Net current expenditure on children’s and young people’s services per resident aged 0 to 17, as DfE works it out from the section 251 outturn, England. Upper-tier councils.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
2015-16Details for 2015-16 | £1,382 | £715 |
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2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £1,128 | £718 |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £781 | £735 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £983 | £762 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £1,131 | £794 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £1,202 | £838 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £1,245 | £895 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £1,220 | £1,012 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £1,907 | £1,157 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £1,672 | £1,197 |
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Figure as of 11 December 2025. Source: Department for Education.
Children in the council’s care on 31 March per 10,000 residents aged under 18, England. Upper-tier councils.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
2021Details for 2021 | 45 | 69 |
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2022Details for 2022 | 44 | 70 |
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2023Details for 2023 | 45 | 70 |
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2024Details for 2024 | 53 | 69 |
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2025Details for 2025 | 47 | 67 |
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Figure as of 26 November 2025. Source: Department for Education.
Gross spending on children looked after in the financial year divided by the number of children looked after on the 31 March that ends it, England, rounded to the nearest £100. The spending includes care leavers, adoption and special guardianship support, so it is more than the cost of a placement. Upper-tier councils.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
2020-21Details for 2020-21 | 127,900 | 70,000 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | 145,000 | 74,600 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | 140,600 | 84,000 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | 128,100 | 97,400 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | 182,400 | 109,500 |
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Figure as of 11 December 2025. Source: Department for Education.
The average standard hourly rate the council pays independent providers for home care, weighted by hours, England. Upper-tier councils.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
2016-17Details for 2016-17 | 15.97 | 15.52 |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | 16.71 | 16.04 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | 17.21 | 16.86 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | 17.73 | 17.48 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | 18.17 | 18.44 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | 19.35 | 18.88 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | 19.64 | 20.57 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | 21.21 | 22.03 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | 22.69 | 23.56 |
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Figure as of 23 October 2025. Source: Department of Health and Social Care.
People, costs and staff
| Measure | Kensington and Chelsea | England | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
People in long-term care and support, 31 MarchDetails for People in long-term care and support, 31 March | 1,685 people | 672,250 people | 2024-25 |
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Weekly cost of a residential care home place, 65 and overDetails for Weekly cost of a residential care home place, 65 and over | 1,317 £ a week | 982 £ a week | 2024-25 |
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Children looked after, 31 MarchDetails for Children looked after, 31 March | 106 children | 81,770 children | 2025 |
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Children’s social workers (FTE), 30 SeptemberDetails for Children’s social workers (FTE), 30 September | 183 FTE | 34,328 FTE | 2024 |
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Average children’s social worker caseloadDetails for Average children’s social worker caseload | 10.9 cases | 15.4 cases | 2024 |
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Adult social care jobs in the areaDetails for Adult social care jobs in the area | 3,200 jobs | 1,590,000 jobs | 2025-26 |
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England’s counts are the national totals, shown for scale, not for comparison.
What these figures do and don't show
- Nations are never added up or ranked. England’s adult figures are gross spending from the adult social care finance return, its children’s figures gross spending from the section 251 return; Wales publishes net spending before specific grants and Scotland net spending after all grants. Each nation is compared only with itself.
- Gross includes money that is not the council’s own. England’s adult social care spending includes what people pay towards their care and what the NHS contributes (the Better Care Fund); the table of where the money comes from shows each.
- Care homes against care at home is a split of long-term care spending in England; short-term care, assessment and commissioning are outside it. Wales’s split is of all adult spending, so the two shares are not the same measure.
- Self-funders are not here. People who arrange and pay for their own care home place or home care are outside these returns, so care home spending here is councils’ spending, not the size of the market.
- Cost per looked-after child divides a year’s spending by the children in care on one day; the spending also covers care leavers and adoption support.
- Nothing here shows cause and effect. Spending, people supported, children in care and staff are shown side by side; need, local prices and how councils record spending all differ.
- Northern Ireland runs social care through its Health and Social Care Trusts, which do not publish it by trust in a common table, so it appears at nation level only.
Where this sits: United Kingdom → England → Social care: councils in England → Kensington and Chelsea. Figures from data/services/social-care.json, generated 29 September 2026.
Use this data
The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in Sources for this page; most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, if you credit Tekstak Ltd and link back to this page.
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Sources for this page
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.
Real terms use HM Treasury’s GDP deflator, 2025-26 prices. Breaks in the series: 2024-25: The adult social care finance report moved from NHS England (NHS Digital) to the Department of Health and Social Care, which now publishes it with the activity report as two releases. The return itself did not change. 2014-15: The adult social care finance return replaced the PSS-EX1 return; the publisher’s long-run table joins them. Council figures by setting start in 2016-17 here. 2015-16: The Better Care Fund pooled NHS and council money from 2015-16; NHS contributions count as income in the adult social care return. 2020-21: Covid-19: extra grants such as the Infection Control Fund raised spending in 2020-21 and 2021-22. 2011-12: PESA 2011 counted some personal social services under unemployment; later editions count none there, so the UK split by purpose shifts slightly before 2011-12.
The numbers behind this chart
Details for 2016-17
Details for 2017-18
Details for 2018-19
Details for 2019-20
Details for 2020-21
Details for 2021-22
Details for 2022-23
Details for 2023-24
Details for 2024-25
Figure as of 23 October 2025. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), NHS England (NHS Digital until 2023), Department for Education.