In 2020, 144 children were placed in unregistered settings; by 2025, this number was 680, the report indicates. The average placement in an unregistered setting lasts six months, according to a report by the children's commissioner. One child had been in a holiday camp or activity centre for almost nine months, the same report found. Children placed in these settings are more likely to be involved with gangs, county lines, serious violence, exploitation, or have experienced severe mental health crises, a report by Public First for Commonweal Housing states. The youngest child placed in an illegal setting was five years old, social workers said.
Systemic pressures are forcing social workers to break the law by placing children in unregistered settings because they have no other choice, according to social workers. For-profit providers, which operate more than 80% of child residential homes in England, often charge £20,000-£40,000 a week for each child in unregistered settings, a report by major media says. Some registered providers fear taking high-risk children would damage their Ofsted ratings and would rather leave beds empty, according to a report.
I have been warning about this practice for years, and I need leaders at every level to grip it urgently. Hundreds of children with
The use of illegal care homes is a national scandal, children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza told major media. Key unanswered questions remain about why registered providers refuse high-risk children despite available beds and what specific actions ministers are taking to address this issue. It is also unknown how many children have been harmed or died as a result of placements in unregistered settings.