Government Consultation Response

Secretary of State foreword Since becoming the Education Secretary earlier this year, I have been clear that every child in this country deserves a stable loving home which keeps them safe, meets their needs and enables them to access a high-quality education, a job or training. All children must be given the opportunity to succeed and achieve their maximum potential in life. This is equally important for those children who are unable to stay with their families and for whom the state takes on responsibility for their care and wellbeing.

Having served as the Minister for Children and Families, I know first-hand that where children and young people live while in care, and the support that they receive, is critical to our success in giving looked after children and care leavers the best possible start in life. These children and young people have often already had difficult and sometimes traumatic experiences and we must strive to do all that we can to make sure that we not only improve their lives but give them the tools they need to unleash their brilliance.

Where this concerns care provision, this means making sure we have a care system which offers a range of care and support options that not only reflect the varying and diverse needs of our children, but also flexes as children get older and their needs change. We continue to need dedicated foster carers and excellent children’s homes, but now, more than ever it is clear that we must also have high quality semi-independent homes, which offer the right level of support to help older children prepare for their first steps into adulthood, when they are ready for it.

The use of semi-independent homes has continued to grow as more older children enter the care system. These types of settings can be the right choice for 16- and 17-year-olds. They can offer a place to live with more independence and when combined with the right level of high-quality support, they enable the young people placed there to develop the skills they need to succeed in life.

As the role of these settings in the care system has grown in significance, so must our attention to examining this provision more closely. We must ensure that it is used appropriately and provides the right level of support and safety for looked after children and care leavers. We have already taken steps to ensure that placement practice is appropriate in these settings by banning the placement of children under the age of 16. Children of this age are too young for provision that is intended to provide semi independent living and they should instead be placed in a children’s home or with a foster carer. We must now move forward with steps to ensure that this type of provision delivers the very best for 16- and 17-year-olds who are ready for it.

We will be moving forward with the introduction of mandatory national standards which will be overseen by an Ofsted-led registration and inspection regime. Ofsted will register at provider-level and visit a representative sample of the settings providers operate. I believe that this model will provide the right level of checks and balances in the system, 4 balancing the need for robust oversight, with the need to ensure the provider market can remain flexible to meeting the demands of young people. We will not be light touch in how we regulate providers – I am absolutely clear that Ofsted will be given the tools needed to take action against any low quality, rogue or unscrupulous actors that are found to be operating. Poor quality provision must and will be stamped out. We will only ever accept good providers who offer accommodation and support at the required standard, and I am confident that Ofsted, with all of their expertise in regulating children’s social care, are the best possible organisation to undertake this task.

Ofsted will begin registering providers from April 2023 ahead of the new national standards becoming mandatory for all providers from Autumn 2023 – at which point all providers will need to be registered – and the first full inspections are expected to begin from April 2024.

Our response to this consultation builds upon the Department’s work to raise standards and level up opportunities across children’s social care. Through the £259 million announced by the Chancellor at the Spending Review in October 2021, we will maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes. This will ensure that all children in the care system receive the care and accommodation they need.

In addition to this, the Government will invest over £142million across the next three years to support local authorities, providers and Ofsted to deliver our reforms to unregulated provision. This will ensure that young people in this provision are given the opportunity to succeed, and flourish as they move towards independence.

I know that the implementation of these reforms will not be without its challenges. However, it is clear to me from the consultation that the sector is eager and willing to work with us to implement a system that works for everyone, and truly delivers for young people. I am committed to working collaboratively with the sector to ensure that we seize this exciting opportunity to implement a system which not only guarantees high-quality accommodation for young people, but which also ensures that providers are able to tailor and adapt the support provided to each young person.

These reforms represent the beginning of a new chapter for semi-independent homes for older children, which I truly believe will raise the bar for the young people placed there, and alongside the independent review of children’s social care will work towards levelling up outcomes across the country for those most in need.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the 45 care-experienced young people and the 219 individuals and organisations who took the time to respond to this consultation. I would also like to thank the 32 young people who participated in the focus groups. Your comments and views have been highly valuable, and I look forward to continuing to work with you all as we deliver these vital reforms.

As the Education Secretary I will do everything I can to improve the lives of our children and young people in the care system.

For the rest of the response please click here