Illegal Children’s Homes: Why Commonweal sought to investigate further
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Commonweal commissioned researchers at Public First to investigate the growing use of unregistered children’s homes in the UK. The report was covered in the Guardian here.
At Commonweal, our focus is working with experts to research, develop and pilot housing solutions for social injustices. We largely focus on bricks and mortar housing pilots, but as an action learning charity we also regularly commission research into housing provision gaps, and the experiences of those affected. One of our three strategic areas of focus is at-risk youth.
When the emergence and rapid proliferation of unregistered children’s homes was mentioned during an unrelated conversation, we wanted to know more. It is an issue that slightly belies belief – that the state is placing hundreds (if not thousands) of children, many younger than 16, into unregistered placements, some of which last for many months at tremendous cost.
This disbelief was our initial reaction too, along with a frustration that, whilst the sector and political ecosystem were hazily aware of the problem of unregistered settings, very little was written or widely known about what they looked like in practice, how they came about, the kind of children placed in them, and how the Government can end the use of them. This was the request we made to the team at Public First, who have produced a detailed analysis of the issue that offers an urgent view on the frontline.
Read the report here:
The findings reveal a lot, proving beyond doubt that structural issues and systemic pressures are leading councils to break the law by procuring illegal placements. As the report lays out, ‘…we have built a system where local authorities can be forced to break the law in order to keep extremely vulnerable children safe, because the legal, regulated system cannot respond quickly or flexibly enough.’
The range in quality of such care settings is vast. At worst, local authorities are paying huge sums for children to sit in improvised settings, without any way for authorities to know if they are receiving adequate care. For many of them, adequate care is a distant dream. These settings are condemning growing numbers to effective holding pens, as the system does not have the means to provide anything better.
The great source of hope throughout the report – particularly present among interviewees – is the widespread desire for, and indeed consideration of, effective and deliverable solutions, which we think have been captured and developed incredibly well by the researchers in their recommendations.
This is our first collaboration with Public First. We are thankful for their diligence in producing an outstanding report, and we would urge those engaged in childcare provision to consider how its recommendations can be implemented. We sincerely hope this piece of work be used as the basis for eradicating unregistered settings.
Commonweal is hosting a webinar about the report and unregistered children’s homes on the 21st of May at 10am. Please register here.
