According to this article from BBC News, "children over the age of 16, often in care or formerly so, are increasingly being placed in unregulated homes in England and Wales." These unregulated homes, known as semi-independent or supported accommodation, offer support but not care to residents. Furthermore, says the article, "information requests sent to councils by BBC News indicate that the number of times children and young people have gone missing from unregulated semi-independent accommodation has doubled over a three-year period." And children who go missing from these unregulated homes are at an increased risk for exploitation and abuse, according to the article.
