Research and analysis

Survey sent to local authorities and children’s homes (accessible version)

Published 16 January 2024

Applies to England

This document is an accessible version of the surveys sent to local authories and children’s homes.

This survey is not collecting responses and cannot be competed.

Survey sent to local authorities:

Do you work in a:

• Local authority
• Children’s home: run by a private organisation
• Children’s home: run by a local authority
• Children’s home: run by a voluntary organisation
• Children’s home: run by another type of organisation

Your URN

(This is in the format SC999999 or 9999999 for newly registered providers Your URN is located on your registration certificate or latest Ofsted report)

We will use this alongside our existing datasets to identify trends and demographic patterns.

What is your job role?

(we recommend that this survey be completed by someone whose role relates to placement decision-making)

• Registered manager
• Senior manager
• Commissioning manager
• Responsible individual
• Other (please specify):

The term ‘complex needs’ can be interpreted in many ways. What needs do you consider to come under the term ‘complex needs’?

Please select all that apply and if you want to add further details about specific needs within a selected category, please do in the text boxes.

• Physical health-related (e.g., care needs, addiction and/or substance misuse): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific physical health-related needs, please do below.
• Behaviour-related (e.g., violence, offending behaviour): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific behaviour-related needs, please do below.
• Safeguarding-related (e.g., missing, vulnerable to CSE, gangs, experienced abuse and/or neglect): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific safeguarding-related needs, please do below.
• Mental health (e.g., depression, self-harm, mental health disorder, suicide ideation, experienced trauma): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific Mental health needs, please do below.
• Social (e.g., family contact): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific social needs, please do below.
• Learning needs (e.g., learning difficulties, autism, sensory impairment): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific learning needs, please do below.
• Other needs (please specify):

Does your local authority experience difficulty in finding suitable homes for children with complex needs?

• Never
• Rarely
• Sometimes
• Often
• Always

Which needs make it difficult for you to find an appropriate home for a child?

Please select all that apply and if you want to add further details about specific needs within a selected category, please do in the text boxes.

• Physical health-related (e.g., care needs, addiction and/or substance misuse): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific physical health-related needs, please do below.
• Behaviour-related (e.g., violence, offending behaviour): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific behaviour-related needs, please do below.
• Safeguarding-related (e.g., missing, vulnerable to CSE, gangs, experienced abuse and/or neglect): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific safeguarding-related needs, please do below.
• Mental health (e.g., depression, self-harm, mental health disorder, suicide ideation, experienced trauma): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific Mental health needs, please do below.
• Social (e.g., family contact): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific social needs, please do below.
• Learning needs (e.g., learning difficulties, autism, sensory impairment): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific learning needs, please do below.
• Other needs (please specify):

Of the needs that you selected on the previous page, which one makes it the most difficult for you to find an appropriate home for a child?

• Physical health-related
• Mental health needs
• Behaviour-related
• Safeguarding related
• Social needs
• Learning needs
• Other needs (please specify):

Based on your selection above:

In your experience children with these needs…

• Have to be placed out of area
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Experience planned moves
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Experience unplanned moves
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Have referrals rejected by homes
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Are served notice by their setting
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always

We are interested in why it is difficult to find appropriate homes for children with these needs.

To what extent are the following reasons true for your LA:

Homes cannot meet the child’s needs because of:

• The level, or specialist nature, of care required
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Risk of disruption to other children in the home
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Risk to staff or other children in home
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Issues with recruiting appropriately trained staff
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• A lack of homes that reflect the wishes of the child
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• A lack of appropriate homes within the required area (according to the child’s care plan)
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always

Homes can meet the child’s needs but reject referrals due to:

• Concerns about the impact on staffing ratios
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Concerns about impact on Ofsted inspection outcome
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always

There are difficulties in commissioning homes because:

• Lack of co-ordination between agencies
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• The cost of placements is too high
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Other (please specify):

How often is the plan for children with complex needs to remain in a children’s home until they leave care (or other permanence outcome)?

• Never
• Rarely
• Sometimes
• Often
• Always

For these children, how long does it take to find a suitable permanent placement that is in line with their care plan?

Please specify time unit (i.e., days, weeks or months)

• Average:
• Longest:
• Shortest:

For children you could not find a suitable placement for, what did you do?

We are interested in hearing about your experiences of supporting children with complex needs:

• What has worked well for you to achieve stability and permanence for children with complex needs?
• What would help you to better support children with complex needs to ensure stability and permanence?
• How are the views and wishes of children with complex needs considered when making decisions about where they live and their care?

Survey sent to children’s homes

Do you work in a:

• Local authority
• Children’s home: run by a private organisation
• Children’s home: run by a local authority
• Children’s home: run by a voluntary organisation
• Children’s home: run by another type of organisation

Your URN

(This is in the format SC999999 or 9999999 for newly registered providers Your URN is located on your registration certificate or latest Ofsted report)

We will use this alongside our existing datasets to identify trends and demographic patterns.

What is your job role?

(we recommend that this survey be completed by someone whose role relates to placement decision-making)

• Registered manager
• Senior manager
• Commissioning manager
• Responsible individual
• Other (please specify):

Are you a secure children’s home?

• Yes
• No

Is your home able to accept referrals for children with complex needs?

• Never
• Rarely
• Sometimes
• Often
• Always

The term ‘complex needs’ can be interpreted in many ways. What needs do you consider to come under the term ‘complex needs’?

Please select all that apply and if you want to add further details about specific needs within a selected category, please do in the text boxes.

• Physical health-related (e.g., care needs, addiction and/or substance misuse): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific physical health-related needs, please do below.
• Behaviour-related (e.g., violence, offending behaviour): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific behaviour-related needs, please do below.
• Safeguarding-related (e.g., missing, vulnerable to CSE, gangs, experienced abuse and neglect): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific safeguarding-related needs, please do below.
• Mental health (e.g., depression, self-harm, mental health disorder, suicide ideation, experienced trauma): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific Mental health needs, please do below.
• Social (e.g., family contact): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific social needs, please do below.
• Learning needs (e.g., learning difficulties, autism, sensory impairment) : Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific learning needs, please do below.
• Other needs (please specify):

In your home’s registration and statement of purpose, you will have outlined the care needs that you are able to meet within your home.

When receiving a referral for a child whose primary needs can be met at your home, what further needs or factors would cause you to reject the referral?

Please select all that apply and if you want to add further details about specific needs within a selected category, please do in the text boxes.

• Physical health-related (e.g., care needs, addiction and/or substance misuse): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific physical health-related needs, please do below.
• Behaviour-related (e.g., violence, offending behaviour): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific behaviour-related needs, please do below.
• Safeguarding-related (e.g., missing, vulnerable to CSE, gangs, experienced abuse and neglect): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific safeguarding-related needs, please do below.
• Mental health (e.g., depression, self-harm, mental health disorder, suicide ideation, experienced trauma): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific Mental health needs, please do below.
• Social (e.g., family contact): Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific social needs, please do below.
• Learning needs (e.g., learning difficulties, autism, sensory impairment) : Yes/No
  • If you want to add further detail about specific learning needs, please do below.
• Other needs (please specify):

Based on your response to the previous question, which further need or factor makes it the most difficult for you to accept into your home?

• Physical health-related
• Behaviour-related
• Safeguarding related
• Mental health needs
• Social needs
• Learning needs
• Other needs (please specify):

​​W​e are interested in the reasons that make it difficult for homes to accept referrals for children with these needs.

To what extent are the following reasons true for you:

• The level, or specialist nature, of care required
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Risk of disruption to other children in the home
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Risk to staff or other children in home
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Issues with recruiting appropriately trained staff
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Concerns about the impact on staffing ratios
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Concerns about impact on Ofsted inspection outcome
  • Never
  • Rarely
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always
• Other (please specify):

We are interested in hearing about your experiences of supporting children with complex needs:

• What has worked well for you to achieve stability and permanence for children with complex needs?
• What would help you to better support children with complex needs to ensure stability and permanence?
• How are the views and wishes of children with complex needs considered when making decisions about where they live and their care?