Council sent children in care to stay in tents and caravans for ‘therapeutic breaks’

Leeds City Council has placed 48 children in unregulated accommodation, where there are no minimum standards or inspections, since 2018, according to figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request.

Eleven children were placed in caravans, six were placed in boats or barges and six were put in tents, but Councillor Fiona Venner, Executive Member for Children's Social Care, said they “were not being housed there” because no other accommodation was available.

She said the council “occasionally” pays specialist companies like Exceptional Care Limited to provide outdoor activities and accommodation to struggling children “for a few weeks at a time”.

“It is usually to provide a break from their current living situation whether that's in one of our children's homes, in a foster placement or in another children's homes,” she said.

The Labour councillor said these breaks help children with behavioural issues, as they can enjoy a “different environment with different activities” and they are “well looked after” by trained staff.

The council has placed children in other forms of unregulated accommodation, like children's homes which are not registered with Ofsted and the homes of relatives who are not registered foster carers. It has made 31 unregulated placements since 2021.

Councillor Venner said they are short-term placements which are only used as a last resort and children remain in regular contact with their social workers.

In September 2021, the government imposed a ban on placing children under 16 in unregulated accommodation, but there was an exemption allowing them to be sent on “residential holidays”.

It came after a Sky News investigation found almost 10,000 children had been placed into unregulated accommodation by 86 councils in 2019 and 2020. Twenty were sent to live in tents or caravans and seven were housed in barges.

Councillor Venner accepted that some councils have exploited the exemption to provide children with unsuitable accommodation, because they are struggling to secure expensive places at privately-run children’s homes (average price reached £3,830a week in 2020).

But she insisted Leeds City Council, which currently has more than 1,500 children in care, ensures boats, barges and caravans are “only ever” used to provide short-term breaks.

Former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield said those “pretty niche” placements can be justified on rare occasions but children “should never” be housed in those forms of accommodation for long periods of time, as they become isolated and are vulnerable to exploitation.

Earlier this year, the government announced it would “ban” unregulated placements for children under 18 by ensuring all accommodation undergoes “robust” Ofsted inspections.

But those regulations, introduced in October, also state “mobile or non-permanent settings” like boats, barges and caravans can be used in “very exceptional individual circumstances” if it is “appropriately secure”.

“It is a glaring error,” said Ms Longfield. “There could be children who are waking up on boats, and caravans and potentially in tents by themselves on Christmas day.

“We’ve taken them into the care of the state to provide them with specialist support and this is all we can offer?”