Ofsted has today published guidance for inspecting providers of
supported accommodation for looked after children and care
leavers aged 16 to 17.
The guidance follows extensive consultation – with providers,
children, care leavers and the wider social care sector – about
how inspections can make sure supported accommodation services
are helping children and keeping them safe.
Read the guidance Social care common
inspection framework (SCCIF): supported accommodation
Ofsted has also today announced that these inspections will start
in September 2024, rather than April. This extra period will give
providers more time to digest the guidance, while Ofsted
prioritises dealing with the large volume of registration
applications, including many from providers that are already
accommodating children and care leavers.
The consultation ran from 10 July to 8 September 2023 and
received 280 responses, including 58 responses to a survey of
young people. Overall, there was strong support for Ofsted’s 3
original proposals but, following careful consideration of the
detailed responses, some changes have been made.
Read the ‘Proposals for inspecting
supported accommodation’ consultation outcome.
On the first proposal, Ofsted has today confirmed the 3 outcomes
model for the first round of supported accommodation inspections.
However, the second outcome summary has been adjusted to ensure
the quality of providers is captured accurately.
The 3 summary outcomes are:
Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive
experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are
needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action.
The next inspection will be within approximately 3 years.
Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some
children’s experiences, and this may limit their progress.
Leaders and managers must make improvements. The next inspection
will be within approximately 18 months.
Serious or widespread weaknesses lead to significant concerns
about the experiences and progress of children. Leaders and
managers must take urgent action to address failings. The next
inspection will be within approximately 6 months.
On the second proposal, Ofsted has confirmed that providers will
be given 2 working days’ notice before inspectors arrive on site.
However, the inspection will start as soon as it is announced,
meaning any information gathered in the 2 days before inspectors
arrive – including conversations with young people and
professionals - will form part of the inspection evidence.
On the third proposal, there was strong agreement about the
features of effective supported accommodation, and feedback from
respondents to the consultation has informed the final inspection
guidance.
Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:
For young people who are leaving or preparing to leave care,
supported accommodation can be an important part of their
transition to independence.
Where providers are offering young people high-quality and
nurturing support, it can be transformative, but we know that too
much provision isn’t good enough. I’m really pleased that for the
first time, Ofsted will be able to inspect supported
accommodation in the interests of the young people who need it.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s National Director for Social Care:
I would like to thank everyone who responded to our consultation,
especially the care-experienced children and young people who
shared their thoughts and expertise. Their insight has been
invaluable in developing our approach to inspecting supported
accommodation.
We are confident that our inspection framework will promote high
expectations for all children and young people living in
supported accommodation. And we will use the first round of
inspections to inform future inspection arrangements, including
how we make our judgements.
We have agreed with the Department for Education that we will
start these inspections in September 2024. This will allow us
time to carry out registration checks on the high number of
applications that we have received. It is crucial that we
prioritise this work to ensure providers that are already
accommodating children are suitable and safe.
Notes to editors
- Ofsted has published a rapid review of
evidence conducted in 2022 to inform this work and
understand the needs, experiences, and outcomes of children and
young people living in supported accommodation.
- Ofsted began accepting applications to register providers
of supported accommodation in April 2023, when the regulations came into
force.
- Providers were required to be registered, or to have had an
application accepted by Ofsted as ‘complete’, by midnight on the
27 October 2023 in order to continue to operate legally.
