Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that all looked after children aged 16 and 17 live in accommodation that has carers and provides care.

This government firmly believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high quality home that meets their needs and keeps them safe. The vast majority of looked after children up to the age of 18 live with foster carers or in a children’s home. These placements are subject to robust regulatory checks and balances by Ofsted, to ensure that they meet the needs of children they accommodate and keep them safe.

When local authorities make a placement decision, they are responsible for ensuring the placement is suitable. This includes ensuring staff who will be looking after the child at the placement are appropriately trained and have the skills needed to meet the needs of the child and to keep them safe. It is not in accordance with the law to place a looked after child in a placement that does not meet their needs and keep them safe, and it is unacceptable for any child or young person to be placed in such a placement.

The government is clear that supported accommodation for young people, also referred to as unregulated provision, can be the right option for some older children. However, the government is equally clear that the support and accommodation provided in this provision must always be of high quality, and that the young person must be ready for the level of independence it promotes. That is why, in December 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that the government will invest over £142 million across the next three financial years to fund the introduction of new mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration, and inspection for these providers.

This means that all placements accommodating looked after children and care leavers up to age 18 will now be regulated by Ofsted, will ensure that local authorities can be confident when making placements in this provision, and strengthen our ability to take action against poor providers.

Further information on the government’s plans to reform this vital area is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements.