Get a grip on ‘scandal’ of illegal child social care in England, ministers are told

Vulnerable children placed in caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, with children’s commissioner saying practice must stop

Ministers must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a shocking new report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years.

Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, which risk the “accumulation of increasing levels of harm for children who have already faced enough distress for several lifetimes”, according to a new report.