New analysis of Ofsted data finds capacity is growing more slowly than the number of homes, private provision has risen 22.9%, and more than half of children's home operators run just one home.
14 August 2026, England - The number of registered children's homes in England increased by more than a fifth in just one year, according to new analysis of Ofsted provider data by Arc Research.
England had 4,394 registered children's homes at 30 September 2025, 747 more than a year earlier and an increase of 20.5%.
However, the number of registered places grew more slowly, increasing 14.7% from 13,438 to 15,416. As a result, average registered capacity fell from 3.68 places per home to 3.51.
The analysis suggests that the rapid expansion of children's residential care is being driven by the addition of large numbers of relatively small homes rather than equivalent growth in registered capacity.
Nearly 57% of England's...