Children's homes and other accommodation

Securing a place. Regulations and quality standards, inspections framework, children's privacy and confidentiality.

Guidance and regulation

Tell Ofsted about a serious incident in a children’s home or secure children’s home
- Detailed guide
- 26 October 2023
- Ofsted
Children’s homes regulations, including quality standards: guide
- Statutory guidance
- 6 March 2015
- Department for Education
Introduction to children's homes
- Guidance
- 24 May 2024
- Ofsted
Providing supported accommodation for children and young people
- Guidance
- 23 March 2023
- Department for Education
Children who run away or go missing from home or care
- Statutory guidance
- 24 January 2014
- Department for Education

See more guidance and regulation in this topic

News and communications

Experts demand major overhaul of safeguarding system to protect children with disabilities from abuse at children’s homes
- 20 April 2023
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
- Press release
Government bans unregulated accommodation for young people in care
- 23 March 2023
- Department for Education
- Press release
Urgent action to protect children with disabilities from abuse
- 26 October 2022
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
- Press release
Many children placed in homes far away from their families amid national sufficiency challenge
- 8 July 2022
- Ofsted
- Press release
‘Lack of collective knowledge’ on needs of children in care
- 13 April 2022
- Ofsted
- Press release

See more news and communications in this topic

Research and statistics

Childrens Social Care Statistics for Northern Ireland 2023/24
- 17 October 2024
- Department of Health (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- National statistics
Childrens Social Care Statistics for Northern Ireland 2022/23
- 19 October 2023
- Department of Health (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- National statistics
Safeguarding children with disabilities in residential settings
- 20 April 2023
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
- Research
Childrens Social Care Statistics for Northern Ireland 2021/22
- 3 November 2022
- Department of Health (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- National statistics
Why do children go into children’s homes?
- 13 April 2022
- Ofsted
- Research

See more research and statistics in this topic

Policy papers and consultations

Introducing regulations for supported accommodation provision
- 23 March 2023
- Department for Education
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 16 January 2023
Social care common inspection framework review: interim inspections of children’s homes and residential holiday schemes for disabled children
- 11 March 2022
- Ofsted
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 24 January 2022
Introducing national standards for unregulated accommodation
- 15 December 2021
- Department for Education
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 19 July 2021
Safeguarding children with disabilities in residential settings: government response
- 18 December 2023
- Department for Education
- Policy paper
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse custodial institutions report: government response
- 7 May 2021
- Department for Education
- Policy paper

See more policy papers and consultations in this topic

Transparency and freedom of information releases

Looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements
- 23 March 2023
- Department for Education
- Transparency

See more transparency and freedom of information releases in this topic

Organisations

Ofsted

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