One In Three Homes In Region Either Inadequate Or Only Meeting Minimum Standards

One third of the East of England's 194 children's homes are providing care that is inadequate or only meeting the minimum standards, new figures have revealed.

Although the Independent Children's Homes Association found that the East was home to "world class" children's homes, Ofsted reported that there has been no improvement in some of the region's homes for the past three years.

Ofsted inspections found homes with food shortages, broken central heating during winter, and serious issues with bullying. One home found staff had no child protection or fire training.

Anonymous testimonial from a former Norfolk care home manager said the industry suffered from staff shortages. "It's impossible to get enough staff," she told the BBC. "They are under-paid, over-worked and there is a lack of morale."

However, Jonathan Stanley, chief executive of the Independent Children's Homes Association, argued that the statistics showed that two-thirds of the region's homes are performing well.

"Local authorities do not appreciate the need for intensive care needed and see a figure only in terms of expensive costs," he said.

"They react to this by driving down fees year on year. Providers are remaining operating through commitment to children and suffering terrible financial losses."

Expert Opinion

It is extremely concerning to see reports that so many children’s homes in the east of England are falling below the standards of care expected and very little improvement has been made in recent years. <br/> <br/>“Patient care and safety should always be a top priority, which means ensuring management and staff at children’s homes have the resources to provide the highest possible standards of care and ensuring children are given the care they require <br/> <br/>“We hope this report acts as a wake-up call to local authorities to improve the care available to the vulnerable children in these homes and any failures identified are corrected immediately. Luke Daniels - Partner