Half of supported accommodation providers offer inconsistent quality, Ofsted says

Nearly half of supported accommodation providers inspected by Ofsted have been judged to deliver an inconsistent quality of service, while a further 7% were found to have serious or widespread weaknesses.

The findings come from Ofsted’s Children’s social care in England 2026 statistics, which show that 48% of supported accommodation providers with a published full inspection outcome had received a judgement of inconsistent quality as at 31 March 2026.

Only 45% were judged to be delivering a consistently strong service.

However, the inspection findings cover a relatively small proportion of the sector. Of the 1,220 supported accommodation providers active or suspended at the end of March, just 210 – 17% – had a published full inspection outcome.

Supported accommodation provides accommodation and support for looked-after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17. It became a regulated form of provision in April 2023, with each service provider required to register separately with Ofsted.

The regulator assesses providers across three areas: the overall experiences and progress of children; how well they are helped and protected; and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

Unlike other types of children’s social care provision, supported accommodation providers receive one of three overall outcomes: consistently strong service delivery, inconsistent quality of service delivery, or serious or widespread weaknesses.

The latest figures come amid rapid growth in the sector. The number of active or suspended supported accommodation providers increased by 37% over the year to March 2026, with an additional 330 providers registered.

Together, the 1,220 providers were operating 9,350 open or pending premises, offering a total of 24,700 places.

The majority of providers were privately owned, accounting for 88% (1,070) of the total. Voluntary organisations made up 8% (92), while local authorities accounted for 5% (60).

There was also considerable variation in the types of accommodation available. The most common were self-contained units, which accounted for 3,460 premises (37%). However, the largest proportion of places – 44%, or 10,900 – were in shared or group-living accommodation specifically for looked-after children and care leavers.

The North West had the largest share of premises, with 2,180 (23%), while London had the highest proportion of providers, at 21% (260), and the highest proportion of places, at 18% (4,400).

The growth in supported accommodation contributed to a wider expansion of children’s social care provision. Ofsted recorded 6,700 active or suspended children’s social care providers across England at the end of March, a 20% increase on the previous year.

The number of children’s homes also rose by 20% over the year, reaching 4,800 across all types. Their total registered capacity increased by 11% to 17,500 places.

Inspection findings for other types of social care provision presented a different picture. Of the 650 providers other than children’s homes and supported accommodation with a published full inspection outcome, 95% were judged good or outstanding.

Ofsted’s report is based on provider data as at 31 March 2026 and inspection outcomes published by 30 April 2026. It does not provide a full inspection picture of the supported accommodation sector, with more than four in five registered providers yet to have a published full inspection outcome at the reporting date.