Ofsted, the inspectorate for children’s social care, has introduced new powers to address the problem of unregistered children’s homes. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 gives Ofsted the authority to impose civil penalties on anyone operating or managing an unregistered home. The regulator also has a new dedicated team funded by the Department for Education, which will consolidate investigations, legal and policy support.
In 2024, Ofsted identified over 900 unregistered homes, and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee estimated that about one in ten children in residential care lived in such facilities that month. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner estimates the total cost to taxpayers at £353 million. Ofsted now plans to start criminal investigations, visit homes promptly and, if necessary, involve local authorities and police to safeguard children. The regulator will also examine local authority commissioning practices and promote ‘sufficiency’ in placements.
© Crown copyright, 2024, GOV.UK.
Summary adapted from content licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
For details, see https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.
Original source: https://www.gov.uk/
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