Following a recent survey of our provider members and ongoing communication with those
members, several concerns have been raised, that still need to be properly addressed by the
relevant authorities.
We reaffirm the defence of the much-needed regulation of the sector to protect vulnerable
young people. But, provider concerns are being elevated by recent public communications
from Ofsted that don’t seem to be in line with the content of the original regulations and the
guide accompanying the regulations. On which providers depended to make their decision to
register and shape their services.
These concerns are related to:
- The downgrading of Supported Accommodation and limiting the support that providers are able and capable of delivering for the benefit of many vulnerable young people;
- Decision-making affecting the lives of vulnerable young people is coming from outside and above as opposed to within and below, with no representation of the voice (and concerns) of the ones that deliver Supported Accommodation, meaning the vast experience that already exists in the sector and the actual experience of the young people is being ignored;
- The application of the regulations is being shaped by anecdotes and outliers and not the reality of what supported accommodation is and can be for many vulnerable young people.
The SAA is promoting a meeting open to any supported accommodation provider to discuss
these concerns, intending to create an open letter of concerns and expectations, to be
delivered to Ofsted, DfE and other representative governmental associations.
We also call for other provider associations to join this meeting, so the voices of providers
can be heard and taken into consideration.
The meeting will be virtual (to allow more participation), on the 5th of November 2024,
between 10 am and 12 pm, and registration can be completed here.