Children’s social care providers will not be “unfairly penalised” for taking in children with complex needs: Ofsted
Ofsted has announced changes to its social care common inspection framework (SCCIF), with the aim of encouraging more homes and agencies to look after children with complex needs, with “added reassurance” that this will not negatively affect their Ofsted rating.
Published last week (4 April), changes to the SCCIF guidance will put a “sharper focus” on:
- how providers promote and sustain stability for children, including those with high needs;
- 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;
- the timeliness of a provider’s work to prepare children for their next move;
- how accurately placement decisions reflect a provider’s statement of purpose.
According to the watchdog, inspectors will be trained on the changes to inspection guidance, as part of the “added reassurance” that providers will not be unfairly penalised for taking in children with high or multiple needs.
Ofsted research published last year found that 91% of local authorities struggle to find suitable homes for children with complex needs.
The research also found that concerns about Ofsted ratings were cited by local authorities as a “frequent reason” for homes rejecting referrals of children with complex needs – as it can be more challenging to achieve or evidence good outcomes for these children.
Local authorities felt that good and outstanding-rated homes in particular were “hesitant” to look after children with complex needs, due to fears of being downgraded at their next inspection.
Further, most local authorities reported that children with complex needs are frequently placed out of area, experience unplanned placement moves, have referrals rejected by homes and/or are served notice by their setting.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s National Director of Social Care, said: “Every child deserves a stable, supportive home environment where they can thrive. We know that finding the right placement for a child can be challenging, but homes and fostering agencies should feel confident in their ability to provide long-term, sustainable care for vulnerable children who need it most. We want providers to be risk-aware, not risk-averse.
“I hope these changes send a clear message that we will recognise providers who step up to support our children with complex needs, and who stick with them though the most difficult times.”
Jo Fisher, Chair of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) Standards, Performance & Inspection Policy Committee, said: “Private providers now offer the majority of placements and their businesses are dependent on their Ofsted judgements 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.”
Lottie Winson