This month, Ofsted published its 2023 priorities for social care. In the update, Ofsted acknowledged the pressures on the sector and the likelihood that these would become more severe in 2023 as the cost of living rises, the numbers of families living in poverty increases and more children enter the care system.

The update confirms that Ofsted will begin registering unregulated supported accommodation provides for 16–17-year-olds in care – a month later than initially planned. We are still awaiting the publication of the consultation from the Department of Education on the proposed regulations, so whilst Ofsted has promised to be proportionate and risk-based in their approach, it is difficult to comment on their proposals without sight of the final regulations and guidance.

Once the final guidance is published, providers who offer supported accommodation to 16-17-year-olds will need to identify whether they fall within the scope of the new regulations. If so, they will need to make arrangements to register with Ofsted when applications open and prepare for the new inspection regime which is likely to begin in autumn this year.

Ofsted will also focus on the experiences of care leavers. From February, inspections of local authority children’s services will include a separate judgment on the experiences and progress of care leavers. When preparing for inspection, local authorities will now need to consider how they can demonstrate the positive impacts of their support on care leavers as they enter adulthood.

In addition, Ofsted outlined the strategic priorities they will be focusing on this year. Their 2022-2027 strategy outlined several strategic priorities that they see as key to fulfilling their aims. For 2023, the focus will be on inspections that raise standards and right touch regulation. They are clear that they want their inspections to help providers improve and focus on the right things: their aim is that 90% of providers will agree that their inspection will help them improve standards.

The message we consistently hear from clients is that inspections are not always the cornerstone of improvement that they should be. And whilst Ofsted promised in its strategy to be proportionate and risk-based in its approach, it is always sensible to be ready to challenge an inspection where the outcome seems unfair and even unhelpful.

For more information or support on challenging an inspection, please contact Freya Cassia or another member of the regulatory team.