We want to hear what you think about some changes we want to make to the way Ofsted looks at children’s social care.
We’re thinking about making changes to 2 of our inspection ‘frameworks’ – the guides our inspectors follow. These are:
- the inspecting local authority children’s services (ILACS) framework: we use this when we inspect children’s social care at local authorities (which you may know as ‘councils’)
- the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF): we use this when we visit care providers to inspect and regulate them – these providers include settings like children’s homes and fostering agencies (you can read a full list of all the types on our website)
We want to hear from everyone – whether you’re a child or young person with experience of social care, a parent/carer, a family member, a social care professional, or just interested in how Ofsted checks that services are looking after children and doing everything they should.
You can share your views on both of these frameworks or just one of them.
We have a full consultation with detailed questions or a single question where you can tell us what you think in general. You’ll be able to choose which is best for you.
Please do not use this survey to tell us you’re worried about the safety of a child or an adult. You can find information about who to talk to about your worries in the ‘Raising concerns’ section of the privacy statement, below.
Closing date
This consultation closes at 11.59pm on 28 September 2026.
Supporting documentation
The consultation document (opens in new window), and other supporting materials, including a short video, are available on the Ofsted website. Please refer to them when completing the survey.
Accessibility
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