Supported Housing: Birmingham
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Supported Exempt Accommodation properties Ofsted inspected in Birmingham in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Josh MacAlister
Supported Accommodation registered with Ofsted provides semi-independent living arrangements for 16 and 17-year-old looked after children and care leavers, as they transition towards adulthood.
The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 came into effect in October 2023, with all providers of Supported Accommodation required to be registered with Ofsted.
Ofsted inspect registered Supported Accommodation providers at least once every three years, and during the inspection will visit a sample of accommodation premises owned by the provider.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will consult on draft regulations under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 later this year. The regulations will exempt accommodation from having to obtain a license from the local authority in which their housing it situated, if the property is already registered with Ofsted to accommodate 16 or 17-year-old looked after children or care leavers.
Ofsted only began inspecting registered providers from September 2024 and inspection is at provider level, not premises level. There is also no available breakdown of inspections at local authority level, so we are unable to provide data on inspections of any Supported Accommodation in Birmingham since inspections began. Ofsted publish data on the number of premises and inspections at a regional level. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-care-in-england-2025/main-findings-childrens-social-care-in-england-2025#supported-accommodation.
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