Concerns over unregulated children’s homes in County Durham

Joy Allen, County Durham and Darlington’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), warned that some privately regulated facilities around the region are putting children at risk and impacting police resources. 

The Labour PCC has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, and local MPs to raise concerns about the growing use of accommodation that falls outside the children’s home regulatory framework. 

Speaking at a Police and Crime Panel today (Monday, June 8), the PCC said her concerns were sparked after hearing about the case of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly abused after being placed in an unregulated setting intended to provide care and protection.

“What made it even more shocking was that it happened here in County Durham,” she said.

While many of these settings are not required to register with Ofsted because they are intended for short-term placements of up to 28 days, concerns have been raised that some children remain in them for much longer periods. 

PCC Allen added: “County Durham’s relatively low housing costs can make the area attractive to providers commissioned by authorities from elsewhere in the country. Too often, local agencies are not made aware of these arrangements until something goes wrong – and police are called to respond. 

“It’s quite horrific what’s going on. People are sending children from places as far as Wales into our local area, and we are unaware of them until they come to our attention. There are vulnerable children in our communities, not being safeguarded as we want them to be.”

The intervention follows reports highlighting the scale of unregistered settings operating across England.  

Under current legislation, registered children’s homes are subject to Ofsted inspections, safeguarding requirements, recruitment checks and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) vetting. 

However, PCC Allen said an increasing number of children are being placed in alternative forms of accommodation, often described as “supported accommodation” or arranged through emergency placements, where the same level of oversight may not apply. 

The PCC added that the current regulations had effectively created “a two-tier system” in which some providers operate outside the safeguards required of registered children’s homes while charging local authorities substantial fees for placements. 

Bridget Philippson, Education Secretary, described such cases as “unspeakable evil” and committed to ending the use of unsafe, unregulated accommodation.