Move to ban placing vulnerable children in unregulated homes

THE GOVERNMENT has announced plans to ban local authorities from placing vulnerable children in unregulated accommodation amid growing concern over grooming and county lines drug gangs.

Under the plans, all cared-for children under the age of 16 must be placed in Ofsted-regulated homes.

In November, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson wrote to all council leaders in England saying the use of unregulated placements for children in care should be “eliminated”. There are more than 6,000 looked-after children and young people in England living in unregulated accommodation, with up to 100 under 16s living in unregulated provision at any one time.

Today, Mr Williamson will announce an eight-week consultation to draw up new powers for Ofsted allowing it to force illegal providers to register, issue fines or permanently close them.

It will also draw up national standards for unregulated accommodation, which will still be legal for young people aged 16 and over, to ensure it is safe and of good quality.

The consultation will also propose new measures requiring councils and local police forces to work together before young people are placed in unregulated accommodation out of their area.

Last year, an inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Missing Children and Adults found the “sent away generation” can become magnets for paedophiles and county lines gangs.

It also found councils might be inadvertently extending the reach of county lines networks by relocating youths far from their home towns when they have already been groomed by drug dealers.

The Education Secretary said: “There are no circumstances where a child under 16 should be placed in accommodation that does not keep them safe.

“That is unacceptable and I am taking urgent action to end this practice and drive up the quality of care provided to all vulnerable children.

“Social workers and council chiefs have to make difficult decisions about the children in their care, so it’s important that we agree an ambitious approach to these important reforms to bring about lasting change in children’s social care.”

The consultation precedes a wider, independent review of children’s social care due to commence later this year.

Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director for social care, said she welcomed the announcement.

“Some of our most vulnerable children are living in places where we don’t know if the people caring for them are suitable or skilled enough to meet their needs – this isn’t acceptable,” she said.

The news comes after police made five arrests after a series of early morning raids in their battle against county lines drug dealers.

A 70-strong team of police officers swooped on six properties across Bradford yesterday as part of Operation Jackal, where Class A drugs, weapons and mobile phones were seized.

The arrested men are all from Bradford and are aged 20 to 37. During searches, officers recovered class A drugs including heroin and cocaine, £3,000 in cash, a machete, 20 phones, and drugs paraphernalia.

I am taking urgent action to end this practice. Gavin Williamson, Education Secretary.