Last week, Anthony Collins hosted a roundtable discussion with providers and advisers working across the children’s social care sector. It gave us the opportunity to hear directly from those developing and delivering services about both the progress being made and the challenges they continue to face.
A clear and concerning theme emerged: risk is increasingly being shouldered by providers within a system that is under significant strain.
Registration delays and unregistered provision
Delays in registering services with Ofsted were a central issue. While experiences differed within the room, some providers reported timescales of up to 18 months for registrations to complete.
Providers described the operational strain of maintaining empty homes while continuing to meet fixed costs, including registered manager salaries, during prolonged waits for inspection and registration. While some larger providers may be able to absorb these costs, albeit uncomfortably, for smaller providers this can be a huge financial burden.
Participants also spoke candidly about the pressure from local authorities needing to find placements and considering placing before registration in order to meet urgent local needs. The risks of operating unregistered were discussed, including the impacts on insurance cover and the potential for criminal liability should serious incidents occur.
While providers recognised the importance and value of registration checks, this pressure to operate without them was described as an increasingly common and difficult reality.
Planning, placements and cost pressures
Planning consent continues to act as a barrier to development. Although planning reform may offer some relief, there are concerns that greater local authority discretion, particularly to control out‑of‑area placements, may create further obstacles for specialist provision.
At the same time, providers reported growing commercial pressure. Fee negotiations were described as increasingly intense, with difficulty agreeing with local authorities' amendments and uplifts. Once fees are agreed, it is increasingly difficult to revisit them, even where costs for providers have increased.
Priority registration and next steps
Experiences of ‘fast‑track’ or priority registration routes varied widely. Some providers reported success, while others questioned whether such routes exist in practice at all. There was broad agreement that early, clear evidence of multi‑agency support can assist in progressing applications.
The roundtable closed with a shared focus on keeping the voice of the child central to decision-making and on the value of providers working collaboratively to improve outcomes. With significant legislative change on the horizon, there is an important opportunity for the sector to come together, share learning and advocate for a system that better supports both children and young people and those caring for them.
If you would like more information on how the firm can support children’s social care providers, or would like to be invited to the next roundtable, please get in touch with the regulatory team here.
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