On the surface, Ofsted's annual report last week revealed few major changes in the children's homes sector.
The proportion of good or outstanding homes has remained static since 2007 and the number of inadequate homes has dropped slightly.
But these headline figures could be hiding more worrying trends.
Ofsted is concerned that while the performance of children's homes as a category stood relatively still, the "quality of individual children's homes fluctuates too much".
Of the 1,644 homes inspected three times or more since April 2007, 25 per cent improved and 46 per cent stayed the same. But services in 18 per cent deteriorated, and in 11 per cent varied at each inspection.
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