WIREDGOV

There are around 400,000 children in England in touch with children’s social care, at the latest count. Like all of the almost 12 million children in England, they deserve to be safe, happy and listened to, supported by consistently high-quality services.

The Big Ambition survey reached around 13,700 children with a social worker, around 700 in a children’s home, and around 30 in supported accommodation. Overall, 94% of children living with their parents agreed they live with people who make them feel loved and cared for, but this was just 85% of children with a social worker, 79% of children living in a children’s home, and just 65% of those in supported accommodation.

The Children’s Commissioner is committed to ensuring that all children who interacts with the care system feels loved and cared for. Sadly, this is far from a universal experience – but data published this week by Ofsted, which inspects children’s social care settings, shows a gradual but welcome improvement in ratings: 83% of children’s homes were rated good or outstanding as of 31 March this year, compared to 79% last year.

This is better than the overall picture for children’s services departments – 56% of which are good or outstanding, and the Children’s Commissioner’s office calculates that 60% of children on child in need plans live in them.

These statistics also show that a large percentage of children’s homes – 83% – continue to be run by private providers. This year the Children’s Commissioner will be looking into the increasing problem of private providers profiteering, by examining the relationship between funding and outcomes for children.

This year for the first time, Ofsted’s statistics include supported accommodation providers. These providers offer semi-independent accommodation for 16- and 17-year-old looked after children and care leavers, and since April 2023 they have had to register with Ofsted. None have yet been inspected, but there were 258 providers registered as of 31 March this year, of which 90% were private, the rest being run by local authorities or voluntary organisations.

Our report last year on homeless 16 and 17 year olds found that semi-independent accommodation was the most common type of accommodation given to children when they were taken into care in these circumstances. But young people we spoke to told us this could be scary and unsuitable, with older adults living in the same premises and a lack of support.

As one 16-year-old girl told me, reflecting on her experience of previously-unregulated accommodation: “It was a whole load of different people of different ages thrown into a house… You’re young and living with literal strangers and there was nothing to bring us together.”

Ultimately, supported accommodation should be an interim solution with the ultimate aim of ensuring that every child is able to live in a setting that can provide them with care and not just support.