Ofsted consults on strengthening children's social care inspections

• Changes proposed to current frameworks for inspecting local authority children's services (ILACS) and the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) for providers.

• Proposals include removing the overall experiences and progress' judgement for the SCCIF, and introducing a 5-grade scale and report cards for both frameworks.

• Changes align closely with government reforms, including on supporting families to stay together safely and helping children build enduring relationships with people who are important to them.

• Proposal that the placement of children in unregistered children homes becomes an evaluation area limiting criterion in ILACS.

• Children, families and social care practitioners invited to shape future of inspection.

Read and respond to the consultation on improving the way Ofsted inspects children's social care.

The proposals would change how Ofsted inspects local authority children's services and children's social care providers, using the regulator's system-wide insight to address the biggest challenges in the social care system.

The changes aim to better align Ofsted's framework for inspecting local authority children's services (ILACS) and the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF). This is to ensure that inspections support both sectors to implement the government's children's social care reforms effectively and improve the life chances of children and young people.

Quality of practice, alongside the progress and experiences of children and families, would be evaluated on inspection as the sector delivers government reforms. Those reforms include support for families to stay together safely, work with family networks to make the best decisions for children and help for children to build enduring relationships with people who are important to them.

Proposals in today's consultation include the removal of the overall experiences and progress' judgement for providers inspected under the SCCIF. Both the ILACS framework and the SCCIF would be updated to introduce a 5-point grading scale and report cards, which offer a clearer and more nuanced way of presenting inspection findings.

The consultation also focuses on how inspection can play its role in ensuring the best decision-making for all children, especially those with the most complex lives. In recent years there has been a growth in the use of illegal, unregistered children's homes, which are not inspected or regulated by Ofsted, posing significant risks to children. Ofsted is committed to using reforms to help tackle this growing problem.

Behind the sharp growth is an issue of sufficiency' the amount of suitable accommodation available for children in care and care leavers. Measures proposed outline a vision to eradicate unsafe and unvetted placements by carrying out a more comprehensive evaluation of how leaders are meeting their sufficiency duty. This would include making use of unregistered children's homes a limiting criterion in the ILACS framework, meaning that a local authority would not be meeting the expected standard' in the proposed impact of leaders' evaluation area.

To ensure inspection activity is prioritised where it is most needed, there is also a proposal to change the scheduling of ILACS. This would mean a standard inspection of a local authority every 4 years (plus or minus 6 months), while focused visits and monitoring visits would be carried out between inspections.

It's vital that inspectors listen to the lived experiences of people within the social care system, so there are plans to further improve child, young person and family engagement within both the ILACS framework and the SCCIF.

Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty's Chief Inspector, said:

Every child deserves to grow up in a loving home. Despite thetireless dedication of the social care workforce,many children and families don't get the support they need. Some of our most vulnerable children are living in illegal unregistered homes. Under our proposals, local authorities that have not done enough to secure safe and legal places for children to live will have this reflected in their judgements.

The changes we are proposing will work in parallel with the government's reforms, so that Ofsted plays its part in ensuring children and young people in our social care system are happy, safe and able to reach their full potential.

Building on our current frameworks, we want to strengthen the inspection and regulatory system where this is most needed. New approaches, including a 5-point grading scale and report cards, will better reflect the complexity of children's social care.

We're clear that only by working together with children, young people, families and practitioners can we secure lasting improvement in children's social care.

As well as inviting responses through theonline survey,Ofsted will hold regular discussions with a broad range ofstakeholders about the proposals includingchildren, young people,parents,carers,families, local authorities, social care providers,inspectors,social care experts,andthe Department for Education.

The consultation runs from 7 July until 28 September 2026.

Notes to editors:

1. The ILACS framework sets out how Ofsted inspects children's services provided by local authorities.

2. The SCCIF sets out how Ofsted inspects and regulates adoption support agencies; boarding schools and residential special schools; children's homes; secure children's homes; independent fostering agencies; residential family centres; residential holiday schemes for disabled children; residential provision of further education colleges; supported accommodation; and voluntary adoption agencies.

3. Ofsted has recently announced it will change the way it processes applications for registration of children's homes to prioritise providers offering specialist provision in the right places.