According to the report, published today (23 November), 78 per cent of councils cite being “unable to find a suitable regulated option” as the reason for using unregistered placements.
Ofsted says that over the last year, it completed investigations into 530 possible unregistered settings.
Of these, 83 per cent followed a notification of the placement by the placing local authority. Another four per cent were linked to Ofsted identifying a potentially unregistered children’s home during an inspection.
“Although these homes are often a last resort and intended to be temporary, the national shortage of placements for children with complex needs means some particularly vulnerable children live in these settings for long periods,” the report states.
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