Government unveils plans to reduce oversight of children's homes
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The frequency of Ofsted inspections for "good" and "outstanding" children's homes is to be cut as part of a raft of changes proposed for the oversight of residential care.
The government is looking to reduce the number of inspection visits to homes that achieve Ofsted's two highest grades for overall effectiveness from two a year to one.
Under the proposals, which also include a hike in Ofsted registration fees, good or outstanding homes will receive a full inspection on an annual basis, but will no longer be subject to a second follow-up visit within 12 months to assess progress.
A consultation on the plans stresses that good or outstanding homes will still be visited more than once if "Ofsted becomes aware of information that suggests practice may have deteriorated or there is information that gives concern".
The consultation document also stresses that homes that receive judgements of "requires improvement" will continue to be subject to a minimum of at least one follow-up visit as well as the full inspection within a year.
Those deemed to be inadequate will continue to be subject to an urgent case review and swift re-inspection.
The changes are due to come into effect from April 2017.
Secure children's homes will not be affected by the proposed changes and will continue to receive a minimum of two inspections a year.
Jonathan Stanley, chief executive of the Independent Children's Homes Association (ICHA), has indicated that the organisation will oppose the reduction of visits, saying "two inspections a year is vital".
Details of the plans come a year after the inspectorate was told by the Department for Education to cut its budget by a quarter over the next four years.
The inspectorate has not been monitoring children's centres on a regular basis since a suspension on inspections was announced by former childcare minister Sam Gyimah in September 2015, ahead of a consultation on the future of children's centres that is still yet to launch.
Other changes proposed in the children's home consultation include a 10 per cent rise in Ofsted registration fees from £722 this year to £794 in 2017/18.
ICHA is also set to oppose these rises, with Stanley calling for "realism" in setting fees.
Earlier this week, the ICHA warned that the children's residential care sector is facing a funding crisis as large as the financial problems affecting adult social care.
Despite the fee hikes, the changes to inspection and fee regulations also propose a substantial cut in annual registration charges for those running residential holiday schemes for disabled children from £2,259 to £500 a year from 2017/18.
The consultation document states that this reduction is being proposed as "the fee charged is disproportionate to the operation models" of such schemes, "most of which are run by charities".
The deadline for responses to the consultation is 17 January, 2017.
