Vulnerable children in Cheshire West and Chester are still being placed in 'illegal' unregistered care homes, as one council chief hit out at 'flagrant profiteering' by some private providers.

Unregistered homes are houses for children in care that are not registered with Government watchdog Ofsted.

By law, children's homes must be registered so that they can be subject to oversight by inspectors.

Figures show Cheshire West and Chester Council spent £1,887,494 on housing children in unregistered accommodation between August 2023 and August last year.

The authority said there are still three children in unregistered accommodation.

The practice was criticised by Ofsted on its last inspection of the council's children's services department, where it was found to 'require improvement' across all but one of five areas.

Cllr Adam Langan, Cheshire West and Chester's cabinet member for children and young people said ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children was the council's 'top priority'.

He said: "The expenditure reported reflects the challenges we have faced in securing appropriate housing for children in care, especially given the ongoing national shortage of registered placements and the flagrant profiteering of companies in the sector."

He added: "The unregistered homes we have used are Care Quality Commission registered in order to meet their incredibly complex needs.

"These young people are some of the most vulnerable in society and need our full support.

"I look forward to the children's welfare bill being enacted to address profiteering and improve the lives of young people."

A recent report published by the national children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza found there were 775 children in England in unregistered accommodation, stating that the general quality of placements was 'poor', and the costs 'extortionate', branding the practice a 'national scandal'.

The Government has pledged to crack down on 'excessive profit making' by children's social care providers and increase transparency as part of its Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Cllr Adrian Waddelove, leader of Conservative group at Cheshire West, said: "It is clear the council has faced significant challenges in securing appropriate housing for children in care and demonstrates the level of wraparound support some of our most vulnerable children require.

"Sadly, the costs to provide this support continues to increase and we look towards national Government for help so we can always prioritise and support vulnerable young people across this borough."