Research by Cardiff University, published in December 2020 by What Works for Children’s Social Care, found two out of every five young people referred to secure children’s homes for welfare reasons were not offered a place. Instead, children were ending up in alternative accommodation including less secure children’s homes, foster care and unregulated placements.
According to Ofsted, which inspects secure children’s homes (SCHs) in England, there are around 25 children waiting for a place at any one time and that number has jumped during the pandemic.
Around 20 are in Scottish secure units due to the lack of places in England. However, from 2023, Scottish units will only accept placements from local authorities in Scotland.
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