Today we published updates to our inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) framework. These changes will apply to inspections and visits from 1 April 2026. Removing the overall effectiveness judgement We have carried out our commitment to removing the …
It is often a struggle to find the right social care provider for children with the most complex needs. We want to help those wanting to open provision for them, and commissioners that are looking for suitable homes. So, we …
In December 2024, we updated the inspecting local authority children's services (ILACS) framework. This blog will discuss why we’re making these changes, the reviews that informed them, and how we are responding to your feedback. Why we updated the framework …
We have published our new analysis of the concerning rise in the use of unregistered children’s homes. Last year, we opened over 1,000 cases to investigate potential unregistered settings. Why are we concerned? Some of the most vulnerable children are …
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 …
In this blog, we give an update on our registration work and set 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 It’s now more than …
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 providers across England to help us understand the extent of …
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 and one secure training centre. As well as inspecting secure children's homes and the secure training centre, we also …
The Department for Education (DfE) has published several documents as part of the children’s social care reforms: This blog will give some early views on what these will mean in practice and how they will affect inspection. We know you …