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A consultation launched today by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), seeks views on whether or not Ofsted should publish children’s homes inspection reports.

Ofsted is consulting with children and young people and those who look after them, or who have an interest in their welfare, to gain their views on whether children’s homes inspection reports should be made publicly available on the Ofsted website.

The consultation asks whether the decision about publishing reports should depend upon the number of children and young people that live in a children’s home. It also seeks views on any safeguarding issues Ofsted needs to consider when deciding whether or not to publish inspection reports.

Michael Hart, Director for Children at Ofsted says “We are encouraging as many people with an interest in children’s homes to participate in this consultation as possible. It is very important that we hear their views, so we can make an informed decision on whether or not we should publish these reports.”

The consultation is open for 12 weeks, until 16 September 2008.


NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Ofsted is responsible for the regulation and inspection of children’s homes under the Care Standards Act 2000.

2. The consultation was announced in the House of Commons by Kevin Brennan. The reference is: Brennan, K (2008) Hansard, House of Commons, 22 April, Column 1292.

3. Currently, when a request is made for a copy of a children’s home inspection report, Ofsted manages such a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The address of the children’s home is removed from the copy of the report supplied and a careful check is carried out to ensure that any information in the report that may identify an individual child is removed.

4. Ofsted writes inspection reports in a way that does not name individual children or young people. However, a number of children’s homes accommodate three or fewer children and young people, and a significant number of homes provide care for just one child or young person. In these circumstances it is much harder to protect the privacy of children and young people, and within their local community, it may become known that a child or young person lives in a particular children’s home.

5. The consultation on the publication of children’s homes inspection reports is due to be launched on the consultation section of the Ofsted website (www.ofsted.gov.uk) on Tuesday 24 June 2008 and will be open for 12 weeks until 16 September 2008.

6. Hardcopy versions of the consultation document are available, upon request, from the Ofsted National Business Unit, on 08456 404040.

7. A survey is also being run by the Children’s Rights Director, to seek the views of children and young people who live in children’s homes on this proposal.

8. The results of the consultation will be available on the Ofsted website later in 2008.

9. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) has the responsibility for the inspection of adult learning and training, the regulation and inspection of children's social care, the inspection of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Ofsted inspects or regulates the following services - childminders, full and sessional day-care providers, out of school care, crèches, adoption and fostering agencies, residential schools, family centres and homes for children, all state maintained schools, some independent schools, Pupil Referral Units, the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service, the overall level of services for children in local authority areas (known as Joint Area Reviews), further education Initial Teacher Training, and publicly funded adult skills and employment based training.