Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in care aged 16 and 17 went missing while they were living in (a) semi-independent or (b) independent accommodation between April 2021 and March 2022.

Information for the reporting year 2021/22 will not be available until later this month. This can be requested following the publication of the department’s statistical release, ‘Children looked after in England (including adoptions): 2022.’

The department firmly believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality home that meets their needs and keeps them safe. Some children aged 16 and 17 live in independent and semi-independent settings, which are not currently subject to Ofsted registration and inspection.

The department is clear that semi-independent provision, or supported accommodation, can be the right option for some older children, where this accommodation is high-quality, meets these children’s needs, and keeps them safe. However, the department understands that this provision is not consistently good enough. That is why the government is investing 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.

Following ongoing reforms, all placements accommodating looked-after children and care leavers up to age 18 will be regulated by Ofsted. Regulation will ensure that local authorities can be confident when making placements in this provision, 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 government’s plans to reform this vital area is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements.