This is an extremely concerning picture that Ofsted has presented. Elsewhere, they discovered thousands of children in care all over England are at risk by being force-placed into unregistered homes for months on end. This terrifying trend is the result of a deadly lack of registered care homes. These kinds of facilities are particularly unable to meet the unique, trauma-informed needs of vulnerable children. As councils face increasing difficulty placing children in regulated care, many have turned to unregulated options, some of which are able to charge extortionate prices.
Ofsted’s annual report, published in December, underscores the ongoing challenges faced by children’s care services in England. These results provide further evidence of the increasing burden on the social care market, with 2024/25 seeing the highest number of registered care homes on record at 4,010. These facilities can often be found in communities that have the least concentrated demand for care. As a result, councils are frequently unable to offer suitable placements for children who need to be seen urgently.
Yet today, local authorities are forced to rely on these unregistered homes. In fact, these facilities are allowed to charge the government up to £30,000 a week per child. This practice raises significant concerns regarding the quality of care provided, as there is “no assurance over the quality of care or that children are safe,” according to the report. And thankfully, the Department for Education (DfE) understands how urgent this is. They’re taking exciting new actions to address the shortcomings in our system.
Ofsted has already introduced new timescales to reduce the time taken to register new care home significantly. Together these measures will greatly reduce the time it currently takes to approve these facilities. Could there be over-reliance on wholesale changes? The DfE has a strong track record in raising standards within registered homes. It hopes to have it done in two years’ time.
Unfortunately, the report documents how more and more councils are forced to place children in unlicensed settings to meet the lack of available licensed placements. This sorry state of affairs has led Ofsted to call for improved scrutiny and regulation across the sector. A spokesperson from the DfE stated, “Running an unregistered children’s home is illegal and those who seek to profit from children’s social care illegally will face serious consequences.”
Despite the rise in registered care homes, Ofsted’s findings reveal a stark reality: there is still a critical shortage of suitable placements in certain regions. Moving forward, the agency has a lot of work to do on affordability. Continuing to improve accessibility so all children can get the care they need, when they need it.
