Regulator gives green light to co-located care

An increasing number of providers of residential care for older people are linking up with childcare providers to bring old and young people together, with benefits for all generations. These links range from regular visits to care homes by staff and children from nurseries and child minders with their charges to fully integrated sites where childcare services are co-located with a care home or older people’s housing with care scheme. 

This huge and growing interest in co-located care, where care homes and nurseries share a site (as discussed in the March issue of TCHE) has inevitably prompted questions. As more providers of both childcare and elder care link up, some have asked where the regulators stand on these developments. Questions have covered the safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults as well as a range of management and business related issues. 

As a result of this increase in interest, Ofsted, the regulator for children’s early years and childcare among other services in England, has issued guidance for its inspectors on registering and inspecting childcare provision that is co-located with care homes.