There is a lack of collective knowledge around the needs of children in care, according to this Ofsted report. The report provides insights into the diverse and complex needs of children who go into children’s homes, and the life experiences that led to them living there.
This study shows just how challenging it is to provide sufficient care for children, particularly for those whose needs are complex. There simply being a vacancy in a children’s home reasonably near to where a child currently lives does not mean that the home can meet the needs of that particular child.
Local authorities (LAs) in England have a ‘sufficiency duty’ to ensure, so far as is ‘reasonably practicable’, that there is sufficient accommodation within their area to meet the needs of its children in care. However, the lack of suitable accommodation for children and the uneven distribution of children’s homes across the country is well documented.
This is alongside an increasing need for homes and carers that can meet the diverse and complex needs of children. Across the country, there are children who are living outside of their LA, particularly in children’s homes.
In order to understand the barriers that exist to LAs achieving sufficiency, we must consider the needs of the children who go into children’s homes.