The Perfect Little Children’s Home…?
Understanding why homes are getting smaller

In 2016 an independent review of residential care raised concern the average number of children per home had dropped to 4, setting out this was more costly and there was no evidence it was better for children. Since that time the average has dropped further to 2.9 young people.

What is shaping this change? It’s not research nor national policy: there’s an absence of strategy at a national and local level.

The Perfect Little Children’s Home draws together a range of expert perspectives on these developments and provides valuable insights for providers, commissioners and policy makers to ask the right questions and make careful, child-centred, evidence based decisions in the development of new and existing children’s home provision.

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Delivery expected June 2026

Chapter 1

Jonathan Stanley has closely watched the development of the sector and in Chapter 1 he seeks to chart how attitudes to large and smaller children’s homes have changed over the past few decades.

Chapter 2 explores the business development factors that have shaped the size of children’s homes and what this might mean for Local Authorities. Andrew Rome has previously been commissioned by the Department for Education, Local Government Association, Regional Care Cooperatives, numerous local authorities and the Children’s Homes Association to help analyse and reflect on the financial mechanisms underpinning children’s residential care.

In Chapter 3 Dr Kevin Gallagher considers how a home’s therapeutic approach affects their plans for the size of their home. Dr Gallagher is Trustee Director of The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities and Managing Director of a therapeutic community himself: Amberleigh Care, an employee-owned social enterprise.

One of the significant factors in homes getting smaller has been the growth of Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) orders from the court, which are at record levels. Often professionals feel that children subject to DoLS need to be placed alone. In Chapter 4 Jacqui McCann challenges this perspective, drawing on her experience and work from her current thesis.

While we may all take differing perspectives on the nature of an effective home, young people living there have the strongest and arguably most valid point of view. Chapter 5 is dedicated to their perspective. Nick Scribbins has seen children’s homes from many perspectives. Currently a Responsible Individual, he has managed homes, been a commissioner and in this chapter also draws on his experience living in residential care alongside the views of current and former young people in care.

We develop these ideas further in Chapter 6 thinking about models of care and how homes are structured to meet the needs of children while bedded in their local communities. Steve Percival has held senior management roles for residential care in local authority, worked for a large national charity providing advocacy services for young people and currently works with dialogue to support organisations to open homes, or to recover when they have received an adverse inspection judgement, and draws on this wide experience to consider how the task of leading children’s homes affects scale.

Those running homes have a particularly close understanding of what works well. Vicci Elworthy has a very strong track record in leading homes to good and outstanding judgements for both a large national provider and now as the head of residential services for a Community Interest Company. In Chapter 7 Vicci will explore how home size relates to management activity, organising staff teams and similar.

Chapter 8 examines wider perspectives on the size of children’s homes, which are, in general, smaller in England than further afield. Dan Hope is Chief Executive Officer of the charity Supporting Families and Children. Dan’s work is focused on supporting children’s homes globally to improve their child protection processes and systems, as well as enabling Governments, NGOs and local communities to reprovision residential care aligned to local cultural needs.

Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, brought a model of children’s homes to the UK based on his Churchill Fellowship research of social pedagogy practice in children’s homes in Germany and Denmark.  The model puts the wellbeing of the child at the centre of its activities, focusing on creating community, stability and lasting relationships and has a particular focus on scale. In Chapter 9 Emmanuel describes this journey and its relevance to children’s homes in England, particularly in relation to training and leadership development.