Hundreds of children placed at risk in unregistered homes for months, MPs warn

"A report by the cross-party government spending watchdog said the "dysfunctional" care system was "not working", with 800 vulnerable children placed in illegal settings for an average of six months each last year. The report said the lack of oversight for unregistered homes meant there was "no assurance over the quality of care or that children are safe". Last month, an Ofsted report found councils could often not find places in registered homes to cater for children's needs,"

"Such homes are not registered with or inspected by Ofsted - which is a criminal offence - but it can only issue warning letters to operators. This practice is expected to change under new legislation as part of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, with the inspectorate given stronger powers to impose fines on the unregistered homes."

"The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, published on Friday, said councils were facing rising costs as a result of a "dysfunctional market where the need for homes in certain areas, particularly for children with complex needs, has exceeded the number of places available". Conservative PAC chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the current system was "forcing" councils to routinely "reach for solutions which will see our nation's children regularly put at risk"."

800 vulnerable children were placed in illegal, unregistered homes for an average of six months last year. Unregistered homes lack oversight and provide no assurance over care quality or child safety. Councils frequently cannot find registered placements that meet children's complex needs and sometimes resort to unregistered alternatives charging up to £30,000 a week per child. Operating unregistered homes is a criminal offence, but Ofsted can currently issue only warning letters. New legislation in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will give Ofsted stronger powers to impose fines. Councils face rising costs from a dysfunctional placement market and improvements may take two years to take effect.

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