The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 - Find a freedom of information request

Relating to The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

It's been 18 months since new rules came into place that guaranteed children aged under-16 would be housed in regulated accommodation where they receive day to day care.

Regulated accommodation, according to the Act, includes:

a care home

a hospital as defined in section 275(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006

a residential family centre as defined in section 4(2) of the Care Standards Act

a school within the meaning of section 4 of the Education Act 1996(4)

providing accommodation that is not registered as a children's home

an establishment that provides care and accommodation for children as a holiday scheme for disabled children as defined in regulation 2(1) of the Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (England) Regulations 2013

Under the new rules, children aged 16-18 are no longer guaranteed to be housed in accommodation where they receive day-to-day care and can instead be housed in independent or semi-independent accommodation where they instead receive 'support'. This is also known as "unregulated" accommodation.

Please could you provide the following information. Please note there are four parts to my request.

1. How many

(i) care experienced children in your local authority aged 16-17 (inclusive) are currently housed in unregulated accommodation and

(ii) how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged 16-17 (inclusive) are currently housed in unregulated accommodation.

Unregulated accommodation is sometimes known as 'independent accommodation' or 'semi-independent accommodation'.

By care experienced children I mean children who are known to the council and who have been living in foster care or residential accommodation or another form of regulated accommodation

as outlined above.

By unregulated accommodation I mean accommodation for care experienced children aged 16 and over, where they can receive support but not care. Please use this article from Become Charity for more information on what defines unregulated accommodation.

It does not include foster homes, residential care, hospital settings, residential school settings.

2. How many care experienced children in your local authority aged 16-17 have gone missing between 18 February 2021 and 1 March 2023?

3. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children in your local authority aged 16-17 have gone missing between 18 February 2021 and 1 March 2023?

4. Please can you provide information on what mechanisms are in place to ensure that children housed in independent or semi-independent accommodation are properly cared for. Information

could be but is not limited to guidance for housing providers or landlords, guidance for social workers, guidance for children and young people.

1.

(i) 30.

(ii) 49.

2. 50.

3. Four.

4. Children’s Commissioning Team contract manage all semi-independent supported accommodation placements, working closely with suppliers to oversee high quality delivery, contract assurance and compliance in line with clear service specifications and Terms and Conditions. Social care and commissioned Leaving Care teams visit young people regularly and are also in regular contact with accommodation suppliers to ensure quality and good outcomes for our young people.