Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 29
61st Report - Financial sustainability of children’s care homes
Published 16 Jan 2026
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Financial sustainability of children’s care homes All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Department has not confirmed how it will test the full commissioning model, and stakeholders have highlighted the scale of change and the need for a strong evidence base.80 The Children’s Homes Association told us that it was unclear how regional care co-operatives would address barriers relating to property prices, planning permission and the workforce.81 We received written evidence from Ofsted that it is disappointed not to have been given the power to inspect regional care cooperatives and is concerned that current proposals will leave gaps in oversight.82 The Children’s Commissioner told us that regional arrangements need to be much more ambitious rather than merely asking local authorities to “play nicely together, contribute a bit of money and share intelligence”.83 The Children’s Commissioner suggested a need for joint funding pots and shared accountability among local authorities, health, justice and education.84 Local authorities have previously raised concerns about the impact of regional commissioning on their statutory responsibilities, particularly around the risk of a local authority not finding a suitable place for a child.85 80 C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 81 Q 14 82 Ofsted (CCH0004) 83 Q 14 84 Q 14 85 C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 18
From: Public Accounts Committee, 61st Report - Financial sustainability of children’s care homes (HC 1233), 16 January 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 1 April 2026 (deadline 16 March 2026).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with the Committee's recommendations on five of the six areas it addresses (it states agreement for recommendations 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6), but disagrees with the recommendation to commit to reducing unregistered placements to zero by the end of 2027.
- On unregistered homes, the government disagrees with the recommendation and says it "has, however, not made a commitment" to reduce the number to zero by the end of 2027, because "Setting a fixed deadline does not sufficiently reflect the complexity of the issue."
- From summer 2026 "(subject to Royal Assent)", Ofsted will be able to issue uncapped fines to providers operating unregistered settings, and Ofsted will also consult on reforms to the inspection of local authority children's services.
- On regional collaboration, the government agrees with the recommendation, with a target implementation date of Spring 2029. Its "vision is for every LA to be part of an RCC" (Regional Care Co-operative), with an Expression of Interest in Spring backed by over £10 million to support up to six new RCCs in 2026.
- On private providers' finances, the government agrees and will establish a Financial Oversight Scheme through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, with timings "subject to Royal Assent", expected to cover about 40 providers.