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Martin Barrow

23 Mar, 8 tweets, 2 min read

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-…

This is significantly higher than foster carers working for the same local authority are likely to receive, even though it comes from the same children's services budget. It is a mad and unsustainable system and makes no sense.

Also, how many children might have been able to remain with their families if the same local authority was able to give them £450 a week.

There are seven inquiries/reviews into children's services currently underway (mostly England only).

Will they be bold enough to tackle this? I have my doubts...

Your reminder that Ofsted has also been forced to intervene at Foster Care Associates, another huge private foster care agency. files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/501585…

@theNAFP

Remember this next time you see the private foster care lobby group @theNAFP sitting alongside government and children's services leaders. They are not there because they care.

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More from @MartinBarrow

Martin Barrow

@MartinBarrow

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.

This home was rated 'good' at the last full inspection, way back in 2019.

Read 5 tweets

Martin Barrow

@MartinBarrow

23 Mar

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.

Read 7 tweets

Martin Barrow

@MartinBarrow

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

@MartinBarrow

6 Mar

@CareLeaversUK

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

@MartinBarrow

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

@MartinBarrow

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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