The number of children in England waiting for a place in a secure
children’s home (SCH) has doubled in a year, new figures show,
underlining the urgent need for the Government to tackle the
severe lack of provision that supports some of the most
vulnerable young people in the country.
Latest government data shows that at any one time, around 50
children each day are waiting for a place in secure accommodation
– an increase from 25 last year.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils, is
calling for an overhaul of the system used to place children in
SCHs, with the introduction of a national commissioning service
for co-ordinating placements.
SCHs provide care for some of the most vulnerable young people,
who have very complex or challenging needs.
Councils place children in secure accommodation when no other
type of placement can keep them safe, as they are a significant
risk to themselves or others. The Youth Custody Service places
children in SCHs when they are remanded to custody by the courts
or are serving a custodial sentence, and an SCH better meets
their needs than a young offender institution or secure training
centre.
Councils have been raising increasing concerns for some time
about the challenges in finding suitable homes for children who
need to live in secure settings, emphasising the very real risks
to children’s wellbeing and the dangers of not being able to
provide children with the right support.
Research also shows that:
- At any one time, around 30 children are being placed in
Scottish secure units– up from 20 the previous year – due to a
shortage of places in England. This comes as the Scottish Care
Review has recommended that Scotland no longer allows placements
from councils in England.
- Of children referred to SCHs over an 18 month period from
2016-2018, two in five were not found a place and were instead
placed in alternative accommodation such as a children’s home or
foster care. One in 10 was placed in a young offender
institution.
- In the three years to 2020/21, the number of applications
made to the High Court to deprive children of their liberty under
inherent jurisdiction – used when a secure placement cannot be
found for a child in an SCH, youth custody or mental health
inpatient setting - increased from 108 to 579 per year.
All but one of England’s 13 SCHs are run by individual local
authorities – 12 councils – providing a total of 233 places.
These councils hold the financial risk of running this provision,
along with ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the children in
their care, on behalf of 152 councils with responsibility for
children’s services.
The LGA says that the current approach of relying on a very small
number of councils to run a national service does not support the
necessary expansion of services, and means children often have to
live very far from home.
While local development and commissioning of homes for children
in care is the best approach in most cases, this is far more
difficult where councils may be seeking only a very small number
of highly specialist placements each year. A national
commissioning approach would enable the pooling of budgets and
expertise, along with more strategic planning to futureproof
services.
In addition the LGA is calling for the NHS to play a greater role
in supporting placements for children with the most complex
needs, in particular given the reductions in children’s inpatient
mental health beds that are putting further pressure on
children’s social care services.
Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young
People Board, said:
“The fact there are as many as 50 children waiting for a
placement on any one day is a damning indictment of a system that
is supposed to ensure they get the care and support they need.
“Secure children’s homes protect and care for some of the most
vulnerable children in society, who often have very complex and
challenging needs and deserve the best possible care and support.
“It is absolutely vital that we have sufficient places available
to provide what is essential, very specialised support. Without
this, the impact on children can be devastating.
“This is why we are calling on government to work urgently with
councils to deliver a fresh approach to secure children’s home
provision, by creating a national commissioning service which
best meets the needs of young people who need support the most.”
Notes to editors
The official figures used in this press release are as of 31
March 2022 and sourced from “Main findings: children’s social
care in England 2022”
Research from the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care
focuses on referrals made to secure children’s homes between 1
October 2016 and 31 March 2018: Unlocking the facts: Young
people referred to secure children’s homes
Research from the Nuffield Family Justice
Observatory on increasing use of inherent jurisdiction
