Right now, hundreds of children in care are being placed in unregistered, illegal homes with no oversight, no accountability, and no guarantee of safety. This is a criminal offence under the Care Standards Act 2000.
This must end!
Our 2023 investigation with The Observer revealed that:
- Over 700 children were placed in unregistered homes between 2020 and 2023.
- 2 in 3 of these children were under 16.
- Unregistered homes have increased by 277% from 2020-23.
- 1 in 5 councils are placing children with complex needs into unregistered homes.
This isn't just a safeguarding crisis - it is a financial one too.
In 2023 alone, councils paid nearly £105 million to private providers of these unregistered homes, averaging £150,000 per child.
The Government has the power to stop this!
The Government is planning to grant Ofsted new powers to fine providers operating unregistered children's homes. But this is NOT enough.