In the United Kingdom, the failure of the privatization of youth homes

The inspection report is worthy of a Dickensian novel: "The children live in an empty shell. The communal areas of the home have a strong, unpleasant odor, are dirty, unkempt, and cold. There is a hole in the wall of one bedroom, and a drawer is missing from the chest of drawers. A bare light bulb hangs from the ceiling." These are the words of the UK's schools and homes inspection authority, following an Ofsted visit to a home for four children in Walsall, central England, in January.

The residence is managed by the private Cambian Group, the largest youth hostel operator in the UK, with over 200 units under its umbrella. It is owned by CareTech, a company based in Nevis, Caribbean, owned by Kenyan-born entrepreneurs Farouq and Hamon Sheikh, and the investment firm Three Hills.

Contacted, Cambian indicated through its lawyer Jonathan Coad that it "operates more than 190 homes, 81% of which have been judged "good" or "exceptional" by the authority in charge of their regulation" , specifying that the group "invests significant amounts to ensure that its homes are maintained at the highest possible level". The failings identified in the aforementioned report "are the result of a management failure and were immediately corrected" , it assures.

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