A growing number of children in care are being sent to “single-place” residential homes costing £6,000 a week with only staff for company.

Despite the vast weekly expense, which would cover a term’s fees at some leading public schools, employees at “single care” homes are poorly trained and less competent than those in standard residential homes, a report says.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection, which conducted the report, concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that children living on their own in such a home benefited from the arrangements. Indeed, they frequently suffered from severe loneliness. The homes are used typically for children with serious behavioural problems who get into fights or break furniture and so are judged too disruptive to stay in standard residential care.

Of 200 homes now operating, 74 per cent admit children with emotional or behavioural problems, 28 per cent accept those with learning difficulties and 7 per cent take in children with mental health problems.

The homes are sometimes used to give respite to parents or at times of crisis, but some children have stayed on for up to two years. Although some of the homes admit children as young as 5, most look after those of secondary school age.

They are mostly run by private companies, but fees are paid by local authorities, which are responsible for children in the care system. The commission called on those authorities to think more carefully before sending children in their care to live in such homes. “It may well be convenient for local authorities to place children with complex needs in these homes but the impact on the children who live there is still unclear,” Dame Denise Platt, chairwoman of the commission, said.

“While the overall number of these homes is still relatively small, there has been a growth in their number in recent years. These homes can be located a long way from the child’s home community and they are extremely expensive to run, with fees of between £4,000 and £6,000 a week.”

Providers say that they have to charge the high fees to pay for highly trained staff, and a support system to make sure that there is round-the-clock care for the child.

However, the report said that inspections had found that staff had fewer qualifications and less training than their peers at other homes and that they were poorly monitored by senior staff. It also found that preparations for children leaving their care were inadequate.

The homes did score more highly over the quality of accommodation, health and safety, and security. The report said that some children liked having the undivided attention of staff, although others complained of loneliness.

The commission said the cost of running the homes was not as high as the fees charged but, because the homes were so scarce, providers could charge what they liked.

An expert on children in care who gave evidence to the commission’s inquiry said that if a body similar to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence was called in to evaluate single-place care homes, they would not be licensed for use.

Another expert said that in his experience, “[single-place care homes] are unable to manage the extremes of behaviour that are exhibited by this group of young people, which invariably leads to a breakdown in placement with little or no notice”.

Experts said that local authorities were getting better at providing care for children with mild behavioural and emotional difficulties, but many were struggling with the growing number with severe problems, often a result of alcohol and drug abuse by parents.

Some local authorities believed there was no value in single-place care homes, but others used them for those who could not cope with fostering or standard residential care.

Paying price

£6,000 A week at a single-place care home

£4,000 Term fees at Dulwich College for boys

£2,520 A week’s stay at The Ritz

£2,335 A week at a standard children’s home

£600 A week at The Priory Clinic

Sources: CSCI, Ritz, Dulwich College, Priory

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