BBC Newsnight has reported that the number of looked-after children aged 16 and over living in unregistered accommodation in England has increased 70% in a decade. Their report claimed that much of this accommodation was sub-standard and made children an ‘easy target’ for recruitment by criminal gangs.
This is borne out by the work we have been doing with the Suffolk Against Gangs Exploitation (SAGE) Task Force and our own experience of the accommodation children are moved to when they leave regulated care at 16.
Newsnight has looked at figures provided by the Department for Education which show that around 5,000 looked after children in England are living in so-called 16+ supported or semi-supported accommodation. This is an increase from 2,900 a decade ago.
Jackie Sebire, assistant chief constable at Bedfordshire Police and the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on serious violence, said that more than half of the 60 homes for looked-after children in Bedfordshire are unregulated. “They are the ones that we have the majority of the children going missing from because the care is so inconsistent,” she said. Police forces nationally have raised concerns, saying criminals see the premises as an easy target for recruitment.
Newsnight believes that bringing this type of accommodation under OFSTED regulation would improve the situation, ensuring a minimum standard was met. However, there is already an obligation on Local Authority Childrens’ Services departments to inspect premises used for semi-independent living and ensure it provides quality accommodation.
What can be done? Part of the problem is a shortage of accommodation and more needs to be done to encourage the private rented sector to cater for this group. There is a stigma attached to children from a care background and this needs to be challenged.
Most Local Authorities use their procurement process to source accommodation through framework agreements. These processes should be more robust in terms of minimum standards and contracts should be actively managed to ensure quality is maintained throughout the contract period. Police, Social Services and other agencies are often aware of the conditions children are living in and it should be easier for them to report issues with accommodation and action to be taken to force providers to improve matters.
From our perspective, we feel that the regulated pre-16 care sector should assume more responsibility for ensuring children are adequately supported and housed when they leave care. We should be active in sourcing employment training and housing for our young people and stay involved with their lives beyond 16 to help them transition to semi-independent living. Currently care packages are stopped immediately on the child’s 16th birthday and support packages beyond this are entirely separate. Perhaps a more child-centered approach where a single care package, albeit at a reduced level, that works with the child through to 18 would lead to better outcomes.