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23 Mar, 7 tweets, 1 min read
Ofsted has shut down the children's home at Fullerton Park residential special school in Doncaster over concerns about the children's safety.
examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-new…
This school is owned by a huge private company, Hesley Group. Last year it was paid £54 million by local councils to care for vulnerable children and young people.
Hesley is owned by wealthy investors based in the tax haven of Luxembourg. Cedar Luxco is also involved with Kisimul, another private provider of care with a poor record with children's safety.
A simple question: how did we decide that making tax avoiding businessmen responsible for the care of vulnerable children was a good idea?
Not yet 8am and already I am so angry.
I've said it before, but NEVER trust an arrangement where the same company runs the school and a children's home on the same site.
Which of the seven separate inquiries into children's services now underway will even begin to understand the structural issues that need to be addressed?

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More from @MartinBarrow

Martin Barrow Profile picture
23 Mar
New today: Ofsted has published a damning report into By The Bridge, the flagship private sector foster care agency. This agency is responsible for the lives of 359 children in care. files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/501612…
By The Bridge is part of the giant private company CareTech, worth around £600 million. Last year it was paid £430 million by local authorities to care for children and young people. Some of its directors earn £1 million a year.
By The Bridge trades heavily on the high allowances it pays its foster carers. Its website claims the average is £450 a week per child. bythebridge.co.uk/im-interested-…
Read 8 tweets
Martin Barrow Profile picture
23 Mar
Ofsted has ordered the closure of this children's home in Blackpool owned by the private company Care 4 Children Holdco because of the neglect of children living here.

files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/501612…
It is clear that this 'home' has not been fit for purpose for many months. But local authorities share blame for the harm inflicted on children. Image
This home was rated 'good' at the last full inspection, way back in 2019.
Read 5 tweets
Martin Barrow Profile picture
8 Mar
Children were locked in their rooms alone for up for ten days and a staff member was drunk at a children's home run by the multimillion pound private company Cambian. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…
Also today, shares in the company that owns Cambian, CareTech, has reached a five-year high. The company is now worth more than £600 million. Profiting from a pandemic.
The Ofsted inspection report is here. There are many other failings. files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/501605…
Read 4 tweets
Martin Barrow Profile picture
6 Mar
Quick thread: Yet another organisation has emerged claiming to represent care leavers. The latest tweets @CareLeaversUK 1/
If you go to their website, there's a lot about being a "voice for change" and all the usual stuff. But it isn't clear at all who they actually are. 2/
nclalumni.co.uk
If you look really closely you will find that they are set up by Northpoint Care, a private foster care agency. Northpoint has not been on my radar before. 3/
Read 7 tweets
Martin Barrow Profile picture
4 Feb
CareTech, one of the biggest private providers of children's homes and foster care, has published its annual financial report today. Prepare to get very angry (thread, 1/).
While the rest of the country has been struggling during the pandemic, CareTech has been growing fast and earning lots of money. Profits have risen 20% to £60 million. 2/
Last year it charged local authorities £430 million for care of vulnerable children and young adults.

£430 million. 3/
Read 13 tweets
Martin Barrow Profile picture
31 Jan
I see Sir Martin Narey, one of the government's go-to people for awkward reviews, has become a director of Sanctuary Personnel.

sanctuarypersonnel.com/blog/2020/10/s…
Sanctuary is one of the private companies that profitably exploits the acute shortage of workers for critical public services, including children's services. Its business is booming. Last year it was paid £102 million, mostly by the public sector, to fill vacancies.
...and profits have almost doubled to £1.1 million.

All paid for by health and care organisations, who have no money to actually provide health and care to the people who really need it.
Read 4 tweets

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