Children in Care: Housing

(asked on 24th January 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of the current regulation of independent living arrangements for young people in the care system.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 29th January 2019

The majority of children in care aged 16 or 17 are either placed in foster care or live in a children’s home, both of which are regulated by Ofsted. However, the Children Act (1989) allows local authorities to use ‘other accommodation’ (such as supported lodgings; semi-independent accommodation; hostels; or foyers), if the local authority judges that the young person’s needs will best be met by this type of placement.

In many cases, semi-independent accommodation provides an effective way for young people preparing to or leaving care to make a gradual transition to independence instead of placing them straight into an independent tenancy.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning a range of accommodation that meets the needs of young people in or leaving care and must ensure that accommodation used to house them is ‘suitable’. ‘Suitable accommodation’ is defined in Chapter 7 of the Children Act (1989) Volume 3 statutory guidance, which can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf.

​The government ensures that local authorities are held to account for the quality of the accommodation they provide to care leavers through Ofsted inspections of children’s services and challenge poor practices when identified by Ofsted.

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