Children in care deserve safe, stable and suitable homes - and they need to be in the right place.

Whilst children’s homes can provide vital support, we should know who is running them, what care they will provide, and that proper safeguarding checks are in place.

However, an alarming oversight persists in the current national planning policy. In Solihull, this has led to a rising trend of private businesses seeking planning permission for children’s care homes without identifying an Ofsted-registered provider.

This critical information gap could lead to inadequate care and oversight, potentially putting children’s wellbeing at risk and eroding trust in these facilities in our community. Without clear identification of the provider, it leaves concerned residents questioning their capability and commitment to providing the high standard of care that the children deserve.

We are calling on the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Education to ensure that:

1. National planning policy is changed so that “Registered Provider” status is a material planning consideration in the determination of applications for children’s homes;

2. Applications for children’s homes set out what care will be provided and who the Ofsted-registered provider will be before they can be considered complete;

3. ⁠The experience and track record of the Ofsted-registered provider is considered when applications for children’s homes are decided;

4. ⁠Every application for a children’s homes triggers a formal consultation with Solihull’s safeguarding authorities, so that children’s welfare is properly considered; and

5. ⁠The location and suitability of a proposed home can be properly considered, including the needs of the children who would live there and the impact of the concentration of homes in an area.

We urge you to join us in calling upon the national government to amend national planning policy, to enhance accountability and quality assurance. Children’s welfare must come first - including making sure they are cared for in the right home, in the right place.

Please sign this petition to protect vulnerable children and ensure the highest standards of care are maintained in our communities. Together, we can make a difference and safeguard the children who depend on us.

James Johnson, local Councillor for Olton Ward & Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, the MP for Solihull West & Shirley