Ian Ross, Chief Executive Officer of Whitehead-Ross Social Work, is calling for urgent Government intervention to address a growing Ofsted registration backlog that is preventing thousands of supported accommodation places from becoming available for care-experienced young people across England.

The warning comes as hundreds of Supported Accommodation providers remain trapped in an increasingly severe registration delay, despite having invested significant resources in preparing services to support 16 and 17-year-olds leaving care.

Supported Accommodation provides housing and support for young people developing independence and preparing for adulthood. While providers welcomed the introduction of mandatory Ofsted registration and quality standards in October 2023, concerns are mounting that the implementation of the new regulatory framework has become unworkable.

According to Ofsted, there are currently 357 Supported Accommodation registration applications as of 12th August awaiting progression through the system, with many providers reporting lengthy delays of 12 months before applications are allocated to an inspector.

Mr Ross believes the consequences are now being felt directly by local authorities and vulnerable young people.

“We fully support regulation and high-quality standards for supported accommodation. However, the current system is creating exactly the opposite outcome to that intended. Providers who are ready to operate, employ staff and support vulnerable young people are being prevented from opening because Ofsted simply lacks the capacity to process applications quickly enough. These delays are reducing placement availability at a time when local authorities across the country are already struggling to meet demand.”

Whitehead-Ross Social Work is currently awaiting registration for its own supported accommodation provision in Dorchester, Dorset. The organisation estimates that if each of the 357 applications currently in the system represented a modest six-bed service, approximately 2,142 supported accommodation places could be unavailable while applications remain outstanding.

Mr Ross argues that this lost capacity is contributing to increased reliance on more costly and less suitable alternatives, including out-of-area placements, hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation.

In Dorset alone, the local authority has corporate parenting responsibility for 539 care-experienced young people aged 18 to 25, with 305 actively receiving support from Dorset Council’s dedicated care leavers service. Around 37% of those young people live outside Dorset or in neighbouring authority areas, highlighting the continuing pressure on local accommodation capacity.

“The shortage of local provision is forcing too many young people to live away from their communities, support networks, education and employment opportunities. We are seeing a situation where providers are willing to invest, properties are available, staff are recruited, and yet services cannot open because registration applications are stuck in a backlog. It is care-experienced young people who ultimately pay the price.”

Mr Ross has written to local Member of Parliament Lloyd Hatton requesting support in raising the issue with the Government and Ofsted.

He has called for:

• An urgent meeting with the Minister for Children and Families, Josh MacAlister MP.
• A public explanation from Ofsted regarding the scale of the registration backlog and the absence of published processing timescales.
• Temporary measures allowing providers with fully completed applications to operate, subject to appropriate safeguards, while awaiting inspection and final registration.
• Additional funding and staffing resources for Ofsted to eliminate the backlog and restore confidence in the registration system.

“Eighteen months after first raising concerns about the capacity of the registration system, it is deeply disappointing that the situation remains unresolved. Everyone agrees that vulnerable young people deserve safe, high-quality accommodation. But a regulatory process designed to improve standards should not be creating bottlenecks that reduce capacity and leave young people with fewer options. The Government and Ofsted must act urgently before this situation worsens further.”