From October 2023, new national standards for teenagers in care will come into effect.
The new regulatory regime will ensure that all semi-independent living homes are inspected by Ofsted.
While this move has been praised by The County Councils Network (CCN) and London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LiiA), they have raised concerns regarding cost.
According to a recent report (also published by the CCN and LiiA), the introduction of these new regulations could be nine times more than government funding.
It also highlights that the new national standards could lead to:
Costs being passed onto councils
Providers backing out of the market or raising prices
One in five beds will not be registered because of the new regulations
Cllr Keith Glazier, CCN children’s services spokesperson, said: “The introduction of a central inspection regime should allay concerns that children in care were in a two-tier system where young people were regulated up to the age of 16 and those older were not.
“But this new regulation has come at a significant cost to providers, who are looking to pass the cost onto local authorities.
“Councils cannot afford this and this will push many to breaking point at a time when other reforms to the children’s social care system are being introduced.
“Government should therefore fully fund this new inspection regime – the shortfall cannot be made up from vital local services.”
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