Matthew Brazier HMI, National Lead (Looked-after children), spoke at the care leavers’ accommodation framework launch on 29 September 2015. http://www.barnardos.org.uk/news/Put-care-leavers-in-the-driving-seat-so-they-can-choose-their-housing/press_releases.htm?ref=108907

1. Ofsted’s perspective
Matthew Brazier HMI
National Lead (Looked-after children)
Care leavers’ accommodation
framework - launch event
29 September 2015

2. Single inspections of local authority
children’s services
Universal programme began in November 2013 – 68
published reports to date – inspection cycle due to be
completed in 2017
Broad scope – covers help and protection, looked after
children, including adoption, and care leavers – undertaken
at the same time as a review of the local safeguarding
children board
Includes a separate judgement on the experiences and
progress of care leavers for the first time

3. How does Ofsted evaluate the
experiences and progress of
care leavers?
 Case tracking/sampling and speaking to children and
young people, staff and managers are the most
important aspects of the inspection methodology in
single inspections

4. Questions we ask
How well do local authorities meet their responsibilities
towards 16-17 year olds who may be homeless or at risk of
homelessness?
How well are care leavers prepared for independence? Are
they living in high-quality, safe, permanent and affordable
accommodation that meets their needs? How robustly does
the local authority check the suitability of young people’s
accommodation?
What are young people themselves say? Do they feel well-
supported? Do they feel safe?

5. Inspection outcomes – the
experiences and progress of
care leavers
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6. Care leavers - key messages from
inspection
 In approximately a third of inspected local authorities,
care leavers do not have access to a sufficient range
of suitable accommodation. The best-performing
authorities have established:
 productive partnerships with a range of supported
accommodation providers
 young people were able to remain with their
carers beyond eighteen years of age
 young people’s wishes were taken into account
and they did not leave care until they were ready.
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7. Care leavers - key messages from
inspection (cont’d)
 In several local authorities, young people have said
that they were not given enough help at the earliest
possible stage to get ready for independence
 The use of bed and breakfast accommodation for
some care leavers in some authorities reflects a
serious shortage of available emergency short-term
and emergency provision in too many local authorities
 A quarter of single inspections resulted in
recommendations in relation to the quality and choice
of accommodation for care leavers
Slide 8 of 27

8. Care leavers - key messages from
inspection (cont’d)
 Recommendations for improving the quality of
pathway plans were made in nearly two thirds of
single inspections (64%)
 Awareness and access to entitlements for care
leavers is still problematic – recommendations made
in 35% of inspections
Slide 8 of 27

9. Examples from inspection
Newham – ‘good’ for care leavers
‘The range of accommodation is designed to meet individual
needs [of care leavers] at various stages of their transition…
they are able to begin planning safely for independence’
Halton – ‘good’ for care leavers
Staying put opportunities were good; no use of B&B; good
use of floating support
Salford – ‘good’ for care leavers
‘The range of supported accommodation options is good,
providing various levels of support that enable young people to
move towards independence at their own pace…young people
[were] given strong additional support to start again when
arrangements had broken down or had not worked out as they
had hoped.’

10. Challenges lie ahead
 Supported accommodation is unregulated – a decision for
government
 The quality and availability of supported accommodation is
too variable – Ofsted will continue to highlight and
challenge poor practice
 What should inspections of care leavers’ services look like
post-2017?
Single inspections of local authority children’s services:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/ofsted-inspections-of-local-authority-childrens-services