Commenting on Ofsted’s asks of central government in The Big Listen response, Rachael Wardell, ADCS Vice President, said:

“Ofsted make some sensible asks of central government in its response to the Big Listen which will make a difference to children and young people, as well as to local authorities. For example, ADCS supports the ability of Ofsted to look at the contribution groups of providers make to children’s outcomes and experiences, and their use of scarce public funds. In recent years there has been a trend towards business mergers and acquisitions giving rise to some very large providers and an expansion of private equity investment in children’s homes, which is increasingly being seen in the childcare sector too. We await the government’s response to these asks and hope to see bold action from ministers to prevent huge profits being generated and extracted from the system on the backs of vulnerable children and young people, in particular.”

ENDS