Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the level of compliance with the registration requirements for accommodation for looked-after 16- and 17-year olds prior to the deadline of 28 October 2023.

The government believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality setting that meets their needs and keeps them safe. That is why the department is investing over £140 million to introduce mandatory national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers of supported accommodation for 16 and17 year old looked after children and care leavers. Ofsted began registering providers on 28 April 2023.

The department knows that these reforms represent major change. That is why we have commissioned the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) through a £750,000 contract up to April 2024, to support providers and local authorities to prepare for the changes and registering with Ofsted. Departmental officials are working closely with Ofsted to monitor progress with registering providers as we approach October and will continue to work with the NCB to ensure that their support and resources are targeted in the areas it is most needed. The department is investing £123 million of the overall funding package to support local authorities to respond to the changes and offset the costs associated with these reforms.

Ofsted will begin piloting inspections this year, ahead of beginning full inspections of providers of supported accommodation from April 2024. Ofsted has published a consultation which seeks views on how supported accommodation should be inspected. Further information on this consultation, including Ofsted’s proposed approach to inspecting providers of supported accommodation, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-inspecting-supported-accommodation.