COUNCILS spent an estimated £353 million last year housing children in illegal accommodation, including caravans, holiday camps and Air BnBs, according to a report by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza published today.

On September 1, 669 children were living in illegal homes, down from 764 on the same date in 2024. Of those, 89 had lived in the same illegal accommodation for more than a year, while nearly 60 per cent had complex extra needs or disabilities.

Most children affected were over 15, accounting for 51 per cent, with 46 per cent aged between 10 and 15 and just over 3 per cent under 10.

Such placements are considered illegal because they are unregistered children’s homes, providing care without regulatory oversight.

The average duration of illegal placements was more than six months, with a “small number” lasting more than three years.

Dame Rachel said the findings were “indicative of wide failings across an entire system,” adding that spending vast sums on crisis care showed “what failure looks like in children’s services.”

She called for earlier intervention and more stable care options.