[2] Outsourcing and childrens social care: A longitudinal analysis of inspection outcomes among english childrens homes and local authorities.
Published in Social Science and Medicine, with Anders Bach-Mortensen and Jane Barlow, 2022
Interpretation: Our analysis shows that for-profit providers are statistically significantly more likely to be rated of lower quality than both public and third sector services. For-profit children’s homes also violate a greater number of requirements and receive more recommendations compared to other ownership types. These findings are robust to model specification and consistent over the full analysed period. At LA level, we find provisional evidence that LA Ofsted ratings are negatively correlated with the percentage of for-profit outsourcing, suggesting that LAs which outsource a greater amount of their children in care placements perform less well than those which do not. These findings are of significant concern given the focus of these services on society’s most vulnerable service users. However, caution is needed in terms of regulating the sector going forward, as the role of for-profit provision cannot be replaced without substantial coordination and long-term planning.
Media coverage: New Statesman, Guardian
Data and coding library: here’
Recommended citation: Bach-Mortensen, A. M., Goodair, B., & Barlow, J. (2022). Outsourcing and childrens social care: A longitudinal analysis of inspection outcomes among english childrens homes and local authorities. Social Science & Medicine, 115323.