Residential care

Residential care is when a looked after child is living in a children’s home or some other form of group-living arrangement. This is instead of in a family-style set-up such as foster care.

There are different types of residential care:

• Children’s homes. This is where a number of children live under one roof, cared for by a team of carers. They do not live in the home but work shifts. Around two-thirds of children in residential care live in a children’s home.
• Residential special schools. These schools will be registered as children’s homes, and are for children with special educational needs or disabilities.
• Secure children’s homes. These are for vulnerable children and young people where liberty is restricted to ensure the children are kept safe. This includes young people who have been remanded to custody. Secure children’s homes are sometimes referred to as ‘secure accommodation’.

Older children (aged 16 and 17), as well as older care leavers sometimes live in independent accommodation, or semi-independent accommodation. This is to ensure that where young people may have limited family and friends support, they have help as young adults from professionals.