Revealed: Ofsted asks staff from private care firms to inspect children’s homes

Some private firms have been accused of putting profits before the quality of their child care. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Managers from some of the largest private children’s home chains in the UK have been asked to carry out inspections for Ofsted, despite those groups owning numerous homes that are deemed unsatisfactory.

The Observer has discovered that Ofsted, which oversees standards in children’s social care, has recruited staff from the Outcomes First Group and the Keys Group to inspect homes as part of a pilot. Analysis of inspection data in Ofsted’s latest annual review of social care reveals 20 homes run by both firms have been rated as less than good.