Sep 8, 2026, 2:30 PM2 views

Councils pay more than £125m a year placing vulnerable children in illegal care homes in England

Exclusive: Booming industry of businesses profit from shortage of beds for most at-risk children Princess’s story: the case that highlights scourge of illegal care provision Councils are paying more than £125m a year…

Exclusive: Booming industry of businesses profit from shortage of beds for most at-risk children

Princess’s story: the case that highlights scourge of illegal care provision

Councils are paying more than £125m a year of taxpayers’ money to place vulnerable children in illegal care homes across England, an investigation has found.

The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) have uncovered a booming industry of businesses profiting from a shortage of beds for the most at-risk children in Ofsted-inspected homes.

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