Ofsted too rigid in children's home inspections, claim managers

A National Children’s Bureau (NCB) report into the early experiences of the new standards, which came into force in April 2015, found inspections were often too rigid.

Among the 21 children’s home managers, council care managers and experts from the sector interviewed, a particular concern was inspectors’ interpretation of a new standard on improving children’s outcomes.

The report found that despite the quality standards’ emphasis on demonstrating progress towards better outcomes, children’s home staff complained about “black and white judgments on narrowly defined outcomes”.

One local authority manager said homes are being inspected in a “very clear, precise way” but that imaginative practice is not “being valued”.

Of the managers from 15 homes interviewed, one said: “We’re getting blamed a lot for the kids not being in education, when we’ve done everything we possibly can.”

Many of those interviewed also found that “not all inspectors were equally approachable and supportive”, despite managers wanting to “understand what was considered good practice, from the perspectives of those who would be judging their efforts”.

Another home manager complained that Ofsted is not helping residential care settings to improve when they ask for help.

“A lot of the time we go to Ofsted and ask questions, and they’ll go, ‘Refer to the quality standards’, when actually we’re coming to them because we don’t understand how we can evidence something,” he said.  

Another described how “depending on what inspector you get, you get totally different things” in terms of inspecting recordkeeping under the new standards.

Among recommendations made in the report is a call for Ofsted to improve its local engagement with homes through workshops, webinars and sharing good practice case studies.

The report found home managers were more likely to praise Ofsted inspectors if they had developed “long-standing relationships with responsive inspectors who knew their homes”.

Ofsted is also called on to ensure inspectors are equipped to fairly inspect the most innovative services.

Despite the criticism, the report details how the new standards have in many cases helped improve practice in homes, in particular around recordkeeping, consulting young people in the management of homes and collaborating between homes though local networking.

Jonathan Stanley, executive officer of the Independent Children’s Homes Association, said: “The report gives positive recognition and reflection to residential child care. In times when pressure is high, reading this report improves self-esteem and resilience.
 
“The many, major achievements made by the sector in its implementation of the quality standards are made visible.”

An Ofsted spokesperson said: “We welcome the National Children’s Bureau report and will be studying the findings in detail.
 
“New inspections of children’s homes, introduced last year, mean that inspectors now focus closely on professional practice and the experiences of children, rather than compliance with process. Inspectors have greater dialogue with staff as they carry out their work, highlighting areas for improvement where necessary. So far the new approach has been well-received by the sector.
 
‘Inspector training and robust quality assurance processes ensure that judgments made are accurate and consistent across our inspection workforce.”