Vulnerable kids 'went missing' and were 'in danger' in care homes used by local councils - and nobody noticed A company's failings had dire impact on vulnerable children in their care

Excellent Substack by Birmingham journalist Jane Haynes on the unfolding scandal of children’s homes run by the private company Dimensions Care

insidebirmingham.substack.com/p/vulnerable...

Link to the latest inspection report

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/53/...

It is now legal (and, indeed, encouraged) for vulnerable children as young as 16 to live alongside vulnerable adults in shared premises. Very profitable, as well.

This comes after no fewer than three monitoring visits in response to third party concerns about children who live in this accommodation.

Ofsted’s new inspection regime for so-called supported accommodation for children in care is revealing just how bad this provision is.

This summary relates to a provider called Rubi Living Ltd:

'I’ve had bin collection letters with more warmth': Rebekah Pierre on the reality of accessing care records - Community Care Rebekah Pierre discusses the impersonal process of receiving her care records and how councils need to better support care leavers

‘I’ve had bin collection letters with more warmth’: Rebekah Pierre on the reality of accessing care records

www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/08/08/c...

Coventry children's home teen 'sexually assaulted' at hotel Ofsted say they found

BBC on the case

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Coventry children's home teen 'sexually assaulted' at hotel - BBC News

Child living at Coventry care facility 'drugged and sexually assaulted' It was one of many concerning incidents revealed by Ofsted

There’s an emerging sense of scandal around the children’s homes company Dimensions Care, which is owned by financial investors. Overlooked by national media, thus far…

www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventr...

Must-read by Mic Wright

Oh look…migrants on P1 of The Times for the fourth straight day

We are inclined to stratify poverty (fuel poverty, period poverty, transport poverty), possibly because this makes more palatable or less foreboding. But it takes us nowhere.

Reminder that ‘child poverty’ is poverty. Children live in poverty because the important adults in their lives suffer poverty and deprivation. Dealing with poverty as an issue of childhood is a failure to acknowledge how deeply poverty is entrenched in our society.

The Times going large on immigration this week, with three successive splashes

Hundreds of thousands of young carers in England and Wales could be unknown to local authorities and missing out on vital support

www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news...

The latest Week in Care is in your inbox, rounding up news and views about children’s services and the care of young people from the past seven days. To subscribe email weekincare@gmail.com

Building the foundations: supporting Breastmilk Feeding for Infants in Foster Care - Royal College of Midwives “She said my breastmilk was not safe for my baby” “They said my baby did not like my milk” “They say my baby is upset after drinking my milk” “He said I was making too much milk” These quotes represen...

Supporting breastmilk feeding for infants in foster care: important research published by
@rcm.org.uk

rcm.org.uk/blog/2025/08...

This week Matthew Syed thinks we must be sympathetic to people who break the law and bend to their demands.

This is peak profiteering in a county that probably has more children’s per capita than anywhere else in the country

Children's home crisis in Lancashire as council pays £17k a week for one place Lancashire County Council uses 268 separate privately-run homes

Children's home crisis in Lancashire as council pays £17k a week for one place.

www.lancs.live/news/lancash...

Youth detention centre in Milton Keynes removes 33 staff members The chief inspector of Ofsted says children were found to be living in unsanitary conditions.

Youth detention centre removes 33 staff members

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

You would hope that national media would be all over this. But nobody likes to challenge Rev Steve or Oasis.

The school itself opened three years behind schedule and seven times over budget.

Inside the Oasis Restore secure school YJB Chief Executive, Steph Roberts-Bibby reflects on her visit to the UK's first secure school and its unique focus on education, healthcare and wellbeing.

The school is run by Rev Steve Chalke’s Oasis charitable trust. His influence over the sector has always troubled me. Read how the school was promoted on this government website

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Just 10 children live at the school, which is supposed to be able to accommodate 22. Restrictions are in place because of concerns over the school’s performance since launch.

Two full Ofsted inspections and a monitoring visit have raised serious concerns about the management of the school and the care of young people.

Yet another worrying Ofsted report into Oasis Restore Trust in Kent, the country’s first secure school, launched amid unquestioning media attention in 2024.

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/2/2...

Ex-foster carers accuse children's services of 'deceiving' them A couple say they were not told information about some of the challenging children they looked after.

Ex-foster carers accuse council of 'deceiving' them

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Lawyer who represented Madeleine McCann parents expands nursery group - Nursery World A lawyer who represented Madeleine McCann's parents is expanding his portfolio of nurseries in the North West of England.

He has also represented Madeleine McCann’s parents and their charity

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news...

As well as being a lawyer, Smethurst has significant investments in children’s homes and nursery schools

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/OJf...

Edward Smethurst - Prosperity Law Edward’s interesting and varied career has included being a director of a premiership rugby club for 4 years, being a member of the board of FTSE 250 Plc for 8 years and setting up and founding Prospe...

Prosperity Children’s Services is one of many companies owned by Edward Smethurst, a prominent lawyer in the North West. He’s managing partner of Prosperity Law.

prosperitylaw.com/people/edwar...