Secure children's homes
Secure children's homes provide care and accommodation to young people who have been placed under secure welfare orders by local authorities, or under criminal justice legislation by the Youth Justice Board. Young people under secure welfare orders, called welfare placements, are placed in children's homes for the protection of themselves and others.
Consideration needs to be given to the best arrangements for commissioning these highly specialised services. This is an issue that we intend to explore in taking forward the proposals in the Green Paper Care Matters.
The liberty of children and young people can only be restricted in premises approved as secure accommodation by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. All 20 secure children's homes currently operating in England have approval for use as secure accommodation.
The letters below explain the legal position of children's homes in further detail. You can also find further information on the Secure Accommodation Network website, which promotes the work of secure children's homes.
Placement
of Under-13s in Secure Children's Homes (November 2006)
Letter to directors of children's services outlining the restricted
circumstances where children under 13 can be placed in secure
accommodation.
Restriction
of Liberty in Children's Homes (March 2007)
Letter from the chief inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection to
directors of children's services regarding the legal position on the
restriction of liberty in secure children's homes.
Placement
of Under-13s in Secure Children's Homes (September
2007)
Updated guidance on the procedures to be followed by local authorities
seeking approval to place children under the age of 13 in a secure
children's home.
This page was last updated on 20 September 2007
