Dispelling Myths About Inspections and the Need for Suitable Homes.

There is a growing need for highly specialised homes that can provide good quality, nurturing care for children with multiple and complex needs. In some cases, these children are deprived of their liberty – many have mental health needs that are not being met elsewhere.  Ofsted knows that some providers are worried about caring for some children and the perceived ‘impact’ on inspection grades. Ofsted knows that the progress of many children will not be linear, with new crises arising and risks identified. They want to see homes and services adapt and respond appropriately to children, and we know this takes time and tenacity. But ultimately, this should not affect the grading of a home. In context, provision for children with the highest level of need continues to be good and outstanding in line with other provider types.

What Does Children’s Homes Data Tell Us?

Ofsted statistics for private, voluntary or local authority-run provision shows no significant difference in quality. Understandably, all sectors have good quality provision and, unfortunately, poor provision. There is no simple narrative that one industry is ‘good’ and the other is ‘bad’. Regardless, Ofsted is concerned by costly placements while not being high quality or giving specialist support. For example, with provider notifications, children’s homes must tell Ofsted about a range of serious issues. Many of those notifications display that providers are managing difficult situations well. Simply looking at numbers can miss the complexity of practice that so often sits underneath. However, we know that some providers are concerned about taking children whose behaviour is likely to increase the number of notifications to Ofsted and assume this will lead to an investigation or an early inspection. A high number of notifications does not automatically lead to either of these activities. Notifications are reviewed thoroughly, but if Ofsted is satisfied that the provider has managed the situation or incident appropriately, then there is no need for them to take further action.  So much of what children’s homes do is manage risk, not eliminate it. Ofsted inspectors are charged with drawing the distinction between providers that are equipped to handle difficult and risky situations and work to high standards and those who lack the experience, knowledge or support to respond to the needs of the children living in the home. This needs careful assessment by inspectors. When things are challenging for children, and they are expressing their anger or frustration or hurt, then the home may ‘feel’ unstable.

Concerns About Unregistered Provision

However, too many children, usually with the most complex needs, are placed in unregistered provisions because local authorities can’t find registered homes that are willing to open their doors to them. It’s not right that children are being cared for in homes without oversight. The volume of applications they receive continues to rise. Still, two problems remain:

• Providers that are operating without registration remain reluctant to come forward and register, so Ofsted can see that they are suitable, preferring to ‘dip in and out’ of offering temporary homes to children. Those that do are not always suitable and do not possess the relevant skills or experience to provide the right level of care.
• Local authorities would not use these unscrupulous providers if registered providers were ready and able to offer caring homes with skilled staff.

Ofsted has stated they will continue to look carefully at capacity pressures on children’s homes and the other areas they regulate across children’s social care. They will continue to speak out about what they see as the gaps in the provision across the country, both geographically and in terms of meeting the specific needs of children. 

At ClouDoc, our comprehensive and ready-to-use children’s home and management forms are designed to help your children’s services business meet Ofsted regulatory requirements. All our documentation is editable online and downloadable in both PDF and MS Word. For more information on how we can help you with your care business, call our team today on  0330 808 0050.