Ofsted highlights lack of support for children placed out of area

A report by the watchdog on the issue of out-of-area care placements, found that social work managers often paid little attention to the quality of care that is provided when children are placed a long way from home.

The study, which focused on nine local authorities and 92 cases, found that in nearly half the cases tracked, children and young people arrived in new areas without the right specialist support being in place for them.

Nearly a third of children had difficulty accessing healthcare – most commonly child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

The report also concluded that:

Debbie Jones, national director for social care at Ofsted said the fact that some children in care are being damaged further by unnecessary delays and gaps in their support was “unacceptable”, and must be addressed as “a matter of urgency”.

“The delays for children and young people accessing the mental health support they need, often because of funding disputes between local authorities, is frankly unacceptable, and should immediately be resolved as we have recommended,” she said.

“Local authorities face significant challenges in ensuring high-quality local placements to meet the unique needs of looked-after children, but as demand continues to grow, more and more children will find themselves placed at distance from their families and communities.

“This issue is not going to go away.”

Jones called on both policymakers and local authorities to urgently consider new solutions to create more local placements for children and young people of the quality required.

Ofsted has also called on the government to review the impact of strengthened regulations on children’s homes providers and local authorities which came into effect in January, to ensure children are being kept safe and are adequately supported.