DfE launches consultation on children’s social care inspections
Fiona Simpson
Monday, November 22, 2021
The Department for Education has launched a consultation over Ofsted inspections of children’s social care providers including proposals to increase fees and reset the three-year inspection cycle.
The DfE is proposing changes to the inspectorate’s Fees and Frequency of Inspections (Children's Homes etc) Regulations 2015.
According to the official consultation document, plans include “changes to the registration, variation and annual fees that Ofsted charge to carry out their regulatory work for children’s social care providers”.
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“We are also consulting on resetting the three-year inspection cycle for those inspected on this cycle,” it states.
The document explains that fees paid by children’s social care providers to Ofsted were set in 2009/10 and are updated on an annual basis - increasing by 10 per cent annually.
“The cost of each inspection and regulatory activity is calculated based on a mix of direct and indirect costs, including the tariff for each inspection and/or visit and the wider costs of regulating the sector,” the document states.
However, it adds that “the majority of providers are a long way from paying the full cost of the inspection and regulatory activity undertaken by Ofsted with around 70 per cent, still paying less than 50 per cent of the full cost”.
The 10 per cent increase was paused in 2020/21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the DfE is proposing to reintroduce the rise from April 2021 with the exception of those who have already paid the full rate, local authorities fostering and adoption services and providers of holiday schemes for disabled children.
Children’s homes accommodating 27 children will be hit with the largest increase of £690 while large adoption support agencies will see the lowest rise of £56.
Proposals have also been put in place to amend regulations to include specific fees for multi-building children’s homes following the publication of new guidance on such settings by Ofsted last month.
Under the plans, so-called multi-building children’s homes will be hit with the largest rise of £4,254 for settings with up to three buildings and an additional per place fee of £283 for larger settings.
“We are therefore proposing to amend the regulations to introduce new fees that are more reflective of the work that Ofsted will need to undertake in regulating and inspecting this new and distinct type of provision,” the consultation document states.
The DfE is also calling on the sector to share its views on resetting the three-year inspection cycle of residential family centres, voluntary adoption agencies, adoption support agencies and fostering agencies following the height of the pandemic.
This would mean that providers that had been due an inspection in 2020/21 and are not inspected in 2021/22 will be inspected by 2022/23, and at least every three years thereafter.
Providers that had been due an inspection in 2021/22 and are not inspected in 2021/22 or 2022/23 will be inspected by 2023/24, and every three years thereafter.
The consultation was launched on 19 November and will close in January next year with changes coming into effect from April.