Category: Regulation & Inspection
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New Information Sharing Duty: What Changes from 30 September 2026?
Effective safeguarding depends on the right information reaching the right people at the right time. With a new statutory Information Sharing Duty coming into force on 30 September, we look at what this means for everyday safeguarding practice and the questions children’s social care providers should be asking now.
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October Training Programme: New Courses, Practical Learning and Professional Development
Our October Training Programme is now available, bringing together seven seminars covering direct practice, care planning, safeguarding, regulation, inspection, cultural competency and the experiences of children and young people. In October, Social Care Skills is also introducing several new courses, expanding our programme into areas of practice that are highly…
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Leaving Care: Independence Must Not Mean Being Alone
A new Children’s Social Care Blog post has highlighted a difficult but important issue for everyone supporting young people in and leaving care: the transition towards independence can also become a transition into loneliness and isolation. Published on 25 August 2026, Tackling the loneliness of leaving care is written by…
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New Ofsted & DfE Research: Preventing Young People from Becoming Disengaged from Education, Employment and Training
Ofsted has published the terms of reference for a new research study, jointly funded with the Department for Education, looking at what works in preventing young people aged 16–18 from becoming disengaged from education, employment and training. An important starting point for the research is that disengagement can begin before…
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Ofsted Updates its Social Care Enforcement Policy
Ofsted has updated its Social Care Enforcement Policy, setting out how the regulator will use its enforcement powers when concerns arise about registered children’s social care services or where services are operating without the required registration. The policy was updated today, 20 August 2026, and applies across regulated children’s social…
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Children’s Social Care in England 2026: What Ofsted’s Latest Statistics Mean for Providers
The Department for Education and Ofsted have published the latest Children’s Social Care in England 2026 statistical release. While the publication is primarily a collection of national data, it provides valuable insight into the direction of travel for children’s social care and reinforces many of the themes that providers are…
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Should This Incident Be Notified to Ofsted? Why the Answer Is Not Always Straightforward
Serious incident notifications are an important part of regulatory oversight across children’s social care. However, deciding whether an incident should be notified to Ofsted is not always as straightforward as identifying that “something serious happened”. During training, consultancy and compliance work, we regularly see uncertainty around notification decisions. Does police…
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£25 Million Investment in Child Trafficking Guardians: What Children’s Social Care Providers Need to Know
The Government has announced a £25 million investment to expand the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) service across every local authority in England and Wales. The announcement, published by the Home Office on 13 July 2026, represents a significant development in the national response to child trafficking, modern slavery and…
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Home Again: A Major New Direction for Children at Risk of Deprivation of Liberty
The Department for Education has published a significant new programme that could fundamentally reshape how England supports children and young people at risk of, or experiencing, deprivation of liberty (DoL). Known as Home Again, the programme is far more than a funding opportunity. It provides a clear indication of the…
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Ofsted’s Proposed Changes to Children’s Social Care Inspections: What Could They Mean for Providers?
Ofsted launched, today, a consultation on proposed changes to the way children’s social care is inspected. While no changes have been confirmed, the consultation provides a clear indication of the direction Ofsted wants inspections to take over the coming years. Although the regulations themselves are not changing, the consultation suggests…