Our response to supported accommodation consultation
We have responded to the Government’s recent consultation on the proposed national minimum standards and approach for inspections of supported accommodation for 16 and 17-year-olds.
In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of children in care who are moved into ‘unregistered accommodation’. This means semi-independent or independent accommodation – such as hostels, bedsits, or shared housing – which is not registered with or inspected by Ofsted.
Following concerns about the rising numbers of children in independent or semi-independent housing, and concerns about whether this type of accommodation was appropriate, the Government carried out a public consultation in 2020.
After this consultation, the Government banned the use of independent or semi-independent accommodation for children under the age of 16, from September 2021. The Government has also committed to introducing national minimum standards for semi-independent settings (to be known as supported accommodation) for 16 and 17-year-olds, and for Ofsted to oversee whether these standards are being met.
We have responded to the Government’s recent consultation on the proposed national minimum standards and approach for inspections of supported accommodation for 16 and 17-year-olds. Read our full Consultation Response below.