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<p>Supported accommodation, sometimes referred to as unregulated provision, is not
currently subject to Ofsted registration and inspection. This type of provision cannot
meet the needs of children under the age of 16 and the department banned the placement
of under-16s in this type of provision from September 2021.</p><p>The department will
invest over £142 million across the next three years to fund the introduction of new
mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration, and inspection for providers of
supported accommodation. This means that all placements accommodating looked after
children and care leavers up to age 18 will be regulated by Ofsted. This will enable
Ofsted to take action against poor providers and ensure children live in safe and
high-quality accommodation that meet their needs. Further information on the department’s
plans to reform this area is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements</a>.</p><p>On
14 July 2022, the department published transparency data on looked after children
in independent or semi-independent placements, to be referred to as supported accommodation,
following the reforms. The data for the reporting year 2021 is available here: <a
href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/looked-after-children-aged-16-to-17-in-independent-or-semi-independent-placements/2021#dataBlock-b56c1048-47a3-4114-02ee-08da60b29403-tables"
target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/looked-after-children-aged-16-to-17-in-independent-or-semi-independent-placements/2021#dataBlock-b56c1048-47a3-4114-02ee-08da60b29403-tables</a>.
This report provided important context for the first set of regulations, which was
laid before Parliament on 18 July 2022, that will deliver reforms to this provision.
This was an ad-hoc release and, as confirmed in the report, will not be produced annually.
The looked after children in independent and semi-independent settings data that is
published annually by the department is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions"
target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions</a>.</p><p>Ofsted
has the legal powers to prosecute illegal unregistered children’s homes. To date they
have not brought a prosecution against a provider of an unregistered children’s home.
These powers will be extended to cover supported accommodation providers from autumn
2023. As an independent body and regulator, decisions on who and whether to prosecute,
are made by Ofsted.</p><p> </p>
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