EHP Consultancy
Portfolio for legislative and regulatory compliance, commercial knowledge, operational
and strategic governance & management in Children Social Care UK
THE CONTINUED USE OF UNREGULATED HOMES
The Observer reports hundreds of vulnerable children in England are being placed in illegal,
unregulated homes because of a chronic shortage of placements.
Under the Care Standards Act 2000, operating a children’s home without an Ofsted registration is an offence, which the watchdog says prevents unsuitable people from owning, managing or working in homes. New figures compiled by the Observer and the charity Together Trust show a 277% rise in numbers placed in illegal children’s homes in England between 2020 and 2023.
However, Ofsted did not prosecute a single provider in 2022-23, despite launching 845
investigations into suspected illegal children’s homes. They stated that it needed new powers to
act against unlawful providers, as it remained concerned that children were “at risk of harm” in
unregistered homes.
An Ofsted spokesperson said, “The government promised additional powers in 2021 that would enable us to take action against illegal providers more quickly—these powers are urgently needed in the interests of children.” Even with additional powers, this will not solve the problem: It is not the providers who place children—the local authorities—and they have increasingly fewer options.
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