It is not unusual for a single placement referral for a child with complex needs to be rejected by “hundreds of registered providers” who fear their Ofsted rating will be impacted, said the ADCS.
Ofsted announced the Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SSCIF) changes in response to this trend – with research finding that 91% of local authorities are struggling to find suitable placements for these children. In addition, it found that ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ homes were particularly hesitant due to worries over a downgrade.
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Inspections will now focus on how providers promote and sustain stability for children, including those with high needs.
They will look at a provider’s placement decisions, including how they balance the needs of a child requiring a placement with those of children already living in the home, as well as the timeliness of a provider’s work to prepare children for their next move and how accurately placement decisions reflect a provider’s statement of purpose.
Jo Fisher, chair of the ADCS Standards, Performance & Inspection Policy Committee, said: “Private providers now offer the majority of placements, and their businesses are dependent on their Ofsted judgments to operate.
“As a result, they have become increasingly cautious in accepting children with complex needs and sadly it is not unusual for a placement referral to be rejected by dozens or even hundreds of registered providers.
“Where a placement is identified for children in care with the most complex needs, we need providers to stick with them in times of crisis and work with them, rather than serving immediate notice and ending a placement as no notice endings add to the instability, trauma and rejection children in care have faced.
“We have long called for a greater focus on how placements end as well as how they start in the inspection of children’s homes.
“These changes bring this more into focus, which is certainly welcome.”
