Ofsted strikes off 49 care providers

Ofsted investigated 6,250 complaints about providers of child
care in the last financial year. However, just 49 registrations
were cancelled as a result of investigations.

Nearly half of complaints were made by parents or other service
users, but 10 per cent were by staff working for the provider and
14 per cent by other agencies such as social services.

Nearly one in five concerns were raised anonymously or by
members of the public, and only 7 per cent by Ofsted inspectors
themselves.

More than one in six of the investigations included a child
protection element and more than half of these were referred to
social services. Most were complaints about staff handling children
roughly and smacking.

Ofsted investigated 55 per cent of all complaints itself.
Another 39 per cent were investigated by the service provider. In
other cases the date of a scheduled inspection was brought
forward.

Altogether 84,000 childminders and 34,000 providers of group
care were registered during the year. Complaints were received
about 2,500 childminders and 3,700 day care providers.

www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications