Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 14 July 2020 on Children’s Social Care Update, Official Report, HCWS368, how many reports of safeguarding concerns in children’s social care settings there have there been in each month since March 2020; and how many settings those reports relate to.

Registered children’s social care providers are required by regulation to notify Ofsted of a range of events which might indicate a safeguarding concern regarding a child or young person in their care (including the death of a child in care). Ofsted inspectors review all such notifications to ensure that the provider is taking all the appropriate steps to safeguard the welfare of looked after children. Throughout this period Ofsted have continued to visit providers where necessary.

Ofsted have received, on average for the past 12 months, around 2,400 safeguarding notifications per month. Since March 2020, Ofsted have received:

• 2,700 notifications from 1,155 providers in March;
• 2,128 notifications from 1,004 providers in April;
• 2,321 notifications from 1,089 providers in May; and
• 2,275 notifications from 1,107 providers in June.

Since routine inspections ceased, Ofsted have undertaken 192 monitoring visits where there are particular safeguarding concerns. These visits have included a combination of on and off-site activity. Ofsted have also continued to use their enforcement powers including restricting children coming into homes and suspending homes where safeguarding concerns were such that it was not safe for children to remain living there.