The Department for Education (DfE) has published a policy paper on its proposals to reform children’s social care. This is a significant opportunity for the government, the sector and Ofsted to better serve the nation’s most vulnerable children. We have …
If you are the registered person for a children’s home, the law requires you to complete a regular review of the quality of care the home provides for children. These reviews, and the reports that follow them, are often called …
From September 2024, Ofsted will inspect registered services that provide supported accommodation for looked after children and care leavers aged 16 or 17. We want to make sure that services are helping young people and keeping them safe. And we …
Ahead of inspections starting next month, Yvette Stanley gives an update on our registration work and sets out some ‘red lines’ when considering supported accommodation as an option for looked-after children and care leavers. Ofsted’s registration of supported accommodation providers …
***Update: we have also released a podcast on this topic*** In January, we published a new research report on children with complex needs in children’s homes. The report was based on a national survey of local authorities and children’s home …
Effective planning for when children move on from secure provision is vital. Our role The children’s secure estate is a very important part of Ofsted’s work. Within Ofsted’s remit there are 13 secure children’s homes (SCH) and one secure training …
The Department for Education (DfE) has published several documents as part of the children’s social care reforms: The National Framework and Children’s Social Care (CSC) dashboard Working Together to Safeguard Children (‘Working Together’) The kinship strategy A data and digital …
We know that applying to register a children’s home is a serious step. It is right that there are exacting standards to meet, but we want the process to work well. The following hints and tips should help with a …
Ofsted’s consultation response Last month Ofsted submitted its response to the government’s consultation Stable Homes, Built on Love. I am sure many of you did the same. There’s a lot in the proposals that we welcome. With additional resources and …
***Update: we have also released a podcast on this topic*** In the autumn, we will publish a research project on children with complex needs who live in children’s homes. This is a 2-stage project. The first stage, which we completed …
As we begin another Foster Care Fortnight, I want to again offer our rightful appreciation to the people providing incredible yet often unremarked-on foster care to tens of thousands of children every year.
Fostering a child is an incredibly generous and selfless thing to do even in the best of circumstances. But in the tough context we currently live in, it is a remarkable act.