An opinion piece from Durham Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen…
Close the Loophole Putting Children at Risk.
Last week I was listening to a podcast when I heard a case that stopped me in my tracks.
A 15-year-old girl, placed in care to be protected, was instead abused by the very adults responsible for keeping her safe.
What made it even more shocking was this: it happened here, in County Durham. And it happened after the child was placed in an unregistered, unregulated setting in that should never have been used to house a vulnerable child.
These unregistered, unregulated homes dotted across the country are putting vulnerable children at risk.
The Investigative reporter uncovered more than 800 illegal children’s homes operating nationally, on what has been described as an “industrial scale.” None registered with Ofsted. None properly inspected. All operating in a space where oversight is weak and accountability unclear. While they are not legally required to be registered or inspected due to their intended use being limited to 28 days, they are often used for longer periods. A child’s safety should never be compromised, even for a single day.
If 800 have already been identified, how many more are there, and how many children are currently being placed in settings that cannot guarantee their safety?
In law, children’s homes must be registered and inspected. That brings clear safeguarding protections, rigorous vetting, safer recruitment, and full, enhanced DBS checks.
But increasing numbers of children are being placed in settings that fall outside that framework, often labelled as “supported accommodation” or used under emergency arrangements.
That means children can end up in environments where those responsible for their care are not subject to the same level of scrutiny.
In the case I heard, a child already identified as being at high risk of sexual exploitation was placed hundreds of miles from their home in Wales, in the care of men with known violent convictions. She was given alcohol and drugs before being sexually abused.
The Secretary of State for Education Bridget Philippson has described such cases as “unspeakable evil” and committed to ending the use of unsafe, unregulated accommodation.
We have effectively created a two-tier system: one regulated; the other operating in the shadows, where protections do not fully apply and they are able to charge local authorities up to £10,000 per week per child to accommodate them.
I have written to the Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson, and to local Members of Parliament to raise this issue directly and press for it to be debated in Parliament. We need urgent legislation that closes this loophole, tightening regulation, strengthening enforcement, and ensuring consistent safeguarding standards in every setting where children are placed.
No child should ever be placed in a setting that is not properly regulated. No provider should operate outside inspection. And critically, no adult should be caring for vulnerable children without full, enhanced DBS checks!
I will lobby for every unregistered setting to be identified and brought into regulation or closed. Regulators must be empowered to act quickly, and there must be transparency over where children are being placed and who is responsible.
If you believe an unregistered or unsafe children’s home may be operating in your community, report concerns to Durham County Council’s First Contact Service (03000 267 979), contact Ofsted, or call Durham Constabulary on 101. If a child is in immediate danger, always dial 999.
What I heard was shocking. But what should concern us even more is that it is not unique, and unless we act now, it will happen again.
