Review launched after Rochdale child-grooming scandal discovers that 63 privately owned homes did not meet the Government’s minimum standards
Private-equity firms and multimillionaire property dealers are making millions of pounds from dozens of children’s care homes that failed to provide acceptable standards of care for the most vulnerable young people in society.
A major review of the industry launched after the Rochdale child-grooming scandal has revealed that 63 privately owned children’s care homes across the country did not meet the Government’s minimum standards.
Ofsted inspection reports included in the landmark study, commissioned by the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, reveal that one in three homes run by Advanced Childcare Limited, Britain’s largest private provider, failed to be classified as “good” or “outstanding” by the education watchdog. Officials now class any institution that fails to meet this benchmark as “unacceptable”. The Cheshire-based company, which charges councils up to £208,000 a year to care for a single child, is owned by GI Partners, a US private-equity firm which has around £4bn of assets under management.
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