A damning new report has found that hundreds of vulnerable children in England’s care system are still living in illegal and unsuitable accommodation, prompting a Christian charity to urge churches across the country to step up with renewed prayer, action and advocacy.
The findings, released by the Children’s Commissioner for England, show that 669 children — many with serious mental health needs or additional educational requirements — remain housed in places such as caravans, holiday camps and short-term rentals, often far from family and community support. A year after the issue was first flagged, the report warns that systemic failures continue to leave some of the country’s most at-risk children without safe, stable homes.
The report, detailed in a press notice issued Jan. 11, exposes what the commissioner described as the “ongoing use of illegal and unsuitable accommodation for children in care,” despite existing laws prohibiting such placements. While 764 children were recorded living in inappropriate settings last year, the new data shows that hundreds remain in those conditions, with some having spent more than 12 months in unregistered homes.
Many of the affected children have complex needs, the report found. Nearly 60% require Education, Health and Care plans, indicating significant additional educational or developmental support needs, while more than one-third are receiving care from child and adolescent mental health services, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of those placed in substandard housing.
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza described the findings as a stark indictment of the current system, warning that a lack of suitable placements is driving decisions that compromise the care of children with the most complex needs.
“This is what failure looks like in children’s services: when a lack of good options is what dictates the quality of care given to a child with complex needs,” said Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza.
She said it was “indicative of wide failings across an entire system” that hundreds of children remain in illegal accommodation, despite such placements being unlawful and under scrutiny in the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently moving through Parliament.
“I have deep concerns about how frequently these illegal placements are used, despite it already being against the law, as well as a focus of the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently moving through Parliament. It highlights some really shocking additional details about the needs and circumstances of the children affected.”
Of the 669 children placed illegally, 89 have been living in the same illegal placement for more than one year, reported the Children’s Commissioner. While most are aged over 15, there are some children of pre-school age growing up in illegal children’s homes.
The average duration of these illegal placements is a little over six months. One child was put in a holiday camp for nearly nine months, another was in a caravan for more than four months and a handful of children remained in an illegal home for more than three years, noted the Children’s Commissioner.
De Souza said that instead of spending a lot of money on costly crisis care, funds should be spent instead on investing in models of children’s social care that prioritise intervening earlier in their lives, keeping children closer to loved ones and ensuring they have stability and support.
Weekly costs for a placement averaged £10,500 ($14,143) per child, or half a million pounds in a year. England’s councils in total have spent an average £353 million ($475.44 million) on illegal children’s homes last year, 2025. Of this figure, 36 placements had already cost more than £1 million ($1,346,915.00) by Sept. 1.
De Souza said the data underscores the crisis in children’s social care “with children – many extremely vulnerable or with complex needs – placed in poor quality placements at an exorbitant cost to taxpayers.”
“These 669 children must be the bellwether for the whole system,” added de Souza. “Getting it right for them will mean getting it right for all children in care.”
In response to the findings, Home for Good and Safe Families — a Christian charity supporting vulnerable children and families — renewed its call for churches across the U.K. to play a more active role in addressing the crisis.
“It is deeply concerning that, despite years of warnings, hundreds of children are still living in extremely inappropriate accommodation. We stand with the Children’s Commissioner in calling for change, and we remain committed to seeing every child grow up in a safe, stable home with lifelong relationships,” said Tarn Bright, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Home for Good and Safe Families.
The charity urges Christians to prayerfully consider fostering, offering supported lodgings, or supporting families in crisis to give families the best chance of staying together: living out the biblical call to care for vulnerable children and young people.
“This report makes it clear that change will not come through policy alone. It will come through people stepping forward to offer homes with care and commitment,” said Sam Lomas, Head of Advocacy of the charity.
“Too few foster carers, specialist carers, and supported lodgings hosts mean local authorities are left with limited options, forcing them to choose between bad and worse placements,” said the charity, which champions solutions rooted in relationship and community.
A particular solution, the charity said, is supporting lodgings, providing a host family for a young person tagged 16-plus to transition to independence.
“This family-based provision for young people in care over 16-years-old, and care leavers, is currently under-utilised but could offer a positive solution for local authorities,” added the charity.
Home for Good and Safe Families offer online information sessions for families who would like to find out more about options to help affected children.
