Kent children’s services downgraded by Ofsted over care leavers concerns
Council calls for urgent government action on asylum-seeking care leavers who make up 12% of total
Children's services run by Kent County Council have been rated "good" overall by Ofsted, down from their previous "outstanding" rating.
In a report published on Monday 22nd January, inspectors praised care for children currently in the council’s care as “outstanding” but highlighted significant concerns about the support provided for care leavers.
The watchdog said that care leavers without a decided immigration status faced difficulties in accessing education, training, or employment, and alternatives offered by the council as their corporate parent were described as “poor.”
Council Leader Linden Kemkaran has called for government action over what she described as "exceptional demands" on Kent’s services caused by increasing numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).
She emphasised that pressures on the system stem from long-term underfunding, as well as delays in asylum decisions and limited community support for care leavers.
Kent currently provides care for over 1,000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking care leavers, alongside 893 British citizen care leavers. Funding from the government stops at age 21, but councils remain responsible for care provision until age 25.
“Over the past decade, 12,000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have entered Kent’s care. While the National Transfer Scheme has improved since 2023, arrivals remain high, leaving Kent to care for young people aged 21 to 25 without financial backing,” Ms Kemkaran said.
Kent County Council’s statutory director of children's services, Sarah Hammond, pointed to discrepancies in funding, with under-18s receiving £1,100 a week while care leavers receive just £270 a week from government provision.
Kemkaran warned of a "perfect storm" of high UASC numbers, complex and delayed immigration processes, and increasing housing costs, stating, “No council, no matter how well run, can absorb this sustained underfunding indefinitely.”
She urged the government to review care leaving funding formulas, implement faster processing of asylum claims, and take further action to manage borders.
However, the opposition has criticised the council, with Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Richard Streatfeild describing challenges related to UASC care leavers as a "smokescreen for failure."
Mr Streatfeild said Kent County Council had known about rising pressures for over a decade, and argued that Reform UK’s administration should be doing more to address the issues using local funds.
While inspectors highlighted concerns about UASC care leavers, Ofsted’s report also pointed to broader issues, including improving accommodation quality and accommodation support for care leavers vulnerable to exploitation.
Kent County Council’s budget for the next financial year is soon to be finalised, with opposition figures planning amendments to ensure adequate funding for care leavers.