Recommendations & Conclusions
45 items
2
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
By the end of this year, the Department for Education must issue a comprehensive response to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care which was published over three years ago. This should set out which recommendations have already been taken forward and a timeline and funding estimate for those which …
Government response. The government commits over £2 billion over the current spending review period, including £1.57 billion for the Families First Partnership Programme rolling out from April 2025, and will update Parliament on implementation plans and timelines for legislative and non-legislative reforms.
Department for Education
3
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We were privileged to hear powerful and insightful evidence from care-experienced young people in this inquiry, and their voices have informed many of the conclusions and recommendations in this report. We are pleased that the Department is regularly hearing from care- experienced young people in its reform programme and would …
Government response. The government details its existing mechanisms for engaging care-experienced young people, including the Children and Young People Board and regular meetings with Ministers, and highlights local authorities' duties to seek feedback.
Department for Education
4
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department should ensure that it is engaging with care-experienced young people in all areas of its work on children’s social care and should encourage local authorities to do the same. The Department for Education, 82 Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission should ensure that care- experienced young people are …
Government response. The government details its existing mechanisms for engaging care-experienced young people, including the Children and Young People Board and Ministerial meetings, and highlights existing local authority duties and Ofsted practices in inspections.
Department for Education
5
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Government’s focus on early intervention is the right one and long overdue. The additional £270 million provided through the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant is welcome but falls far short of the £1.2 billion that has been removed from early intervention services since 2012, an even greater gap in …
Government response. The government details substantial new and continued funding commitments for prevention and early intervention, including a £300 million increase for the Families First Partnership Programme and a total £555 million investment, directly addressing the need for further resources. It also …
Department for Education
7
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government should publish annual data on the proportion of children’s social care funding allocated to early intervention programmes compared with later-stage interventions so that progress on this can be monitored. (Recommendation, Paragraph 20)
Government response. The government states that DfE already publishes statistics on non-Children Looked After spending on its Children’s social care dashboard, providing data to compare early and later-stage interventions, and proposes to use this metric in a new Local Government Outcomes Framework.
Department for Education
8
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We welcome the Department’s commitment to working with domestic abuse charities when developing its guidance for family group decision-making (FGDM). The Department should monitor the impact of the new requirement and, after one year, report back to this Committee as to whether FGDM should be extended to an earlier stage …
Government response. The government commits to continue developing best practice guidance for Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) and to monitor its impact through the Families First Partnership Programme's oversight arrangements and annual local authority data collection after the new legal duty commences.
Department for Education
12
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education must put in place a strategy for supporting children and young people at risk of extra-familial harm. This should include: better training for professionals to spot and respond to extra- familial risks; ensuring that young people and their families know where to go to access support; …
Government response. The government outlines a multi-pronged strategy including updated statutory guidance, multi-agency Practice Principles, embedding reforms through the Families First Partnership Programme, committing to specialist training for professionals, and strengthening multi-agency working through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Department for Education
13
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We urge the Government to be bold in its upcoming Child Poverty Strategy and take wide-ranging action to reverse this trend and significantly reduce the number of children growing up in financial hardship. (Recommendation, Paragraph 29)
Government response. The government will publish a Child Poverty Strategy in autumn and is already undertaking several specific actions, including expanding Free School Meals, investing in social care and housing, and extending the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme, to address child …
Department for Education
15
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We warmly welcome the additional funding for children’s social care and capital investment in children’s homes announced at the recent Spending Review, which will be an important step forward in working towards the amount recommended by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. It would now be helpful for the …
Government response. The government states it is investing over £2 billion in children's social care reform this parliament, meeting the funding level recommended by the Independent Review, and will continue to monitor implementation.
Department for Education
18
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We disagree with the Department’s view that data on the reasons for out- of-area placements are not needed. While data collection itself may not directly lead to improvements, it is essential to fully understand the nature and scale of the problem in order to effect meaningful change. (Conclusion, Paragraph 45)
Government response. The government agrees with the importance of data for out-of-area placements and commits to improving the evidence base by collecting data on the reasons for such placements, focusing on consistent, timely, and robust collection to distinguish between interest-based and capacity-driven …
Department for Education
20
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should collect data on the proportion of children who are placed out of area because it is in their own interests compared with those placed out of area due to capacity issues, so that the situation can be properly monitored and any improvements can be recognised. …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, committing to improving the evidence base and collecting data on the reasons for out-of-area placements, specifically distinguishing between those made in a child’s best interests and those due to capacity issues.
Department for Education
21
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The children’s social care market is not delivering for children or for local authorities. We are particularly concerned at the reports of excessive profits being made by some providers and the risk of financial failure among large providers. We hope that the reforms set out in the Children’s Wellbeing and …
Government response. The government accepts the committee's conclusion, outlining actions to address market failures, including giving Ofsted greater powers, establishing accountability mechanisms for providers, strengthening financial oversight, and committing to cap profits if profiteering continues.
Department for Education
22
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The proposed profit cap has the potential to be a useful tool for the Department if needed, but we do not think it is acceptable for the Department to introduce this significant intervention in the market with 85 only limited opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny and no transparency around how and …
Government response. The government addresses concerns about scrutiny and transparency of the profit cap, stating it would be introduced via secondary legislation and transparency regulations, both subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and notes a technical consultation on the powers has been published.
Department for Education
23
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We are supportive of the move towards regional commissioning but note that the model of Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) being implemented has yet to be evaluated or proven to work. When developing any further RCCs, the Department for Education must consult fully with the sector and pay careful attention to …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, agreeing that further RCCs should be informed by local context and strong engagement with stakeholders, committing to a collaborative and iterative approach based on rigorous evaluation and continuous feedback.
Department for Education
24
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should set out how it will monitor the impact of its reforms to the children’s social care market and commit to updating Parliament on an annual basis on the impact they are having. (Recommendation, Paragraph 59)
Government response. The government commits to closely monitoring the impact of its children's social care market reforms, updating Parliament on their progress in the usual way, and sharing formal evaluation reports with the Committee as they are published.
Department for Education
25
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
If and when any further Regional Care Co-operatives are developed, the Department for Education must consult fully with relevant individuals and organisations in the region, particularly as to the areas covered by the proposed RCC. In cases where there is significant overlap in work between the areas within an RCC …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, agreeing that further RCCs should be informed by local context and strong engagement, committing to a collaborative, flexible, and iterative approach based on evaluation and feedback to ensure RCCs meet diverse local needs.
Department for Education
26
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education must set out how it will assess whether a profit cap on children’s social care providers is necessary. If the Department decides to introduce a profit cap, it must consult this Committee on the draft regulations before they are laid before Parliament. (Recommendation, Paragraph 61) The …
Government response. The government commits to assessing the necessity of a profit cap only if other market interventions fail, by monitoring profit levels, market state, and placement data. It also commits to consulting the Committee on draft regulations should a profit cap …
Department for Education
27
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The shortage of foster carers is a key cause in the crisis in the supply of placements for children in care, with an additional 6,500 fostering families needed. Yet too many prospective foster carers do not complete the application and approval process, and those who do find themselves left with …
Government response. The government accepts the committee's conclusion, committing to significant investment of £25 million through the Transformation Fund for recruitment and retention, capital investment for foster carer homes, and developing a national Foster Care Statement of Expectations to improve support and …
Department for Education
28
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
There are many positive examples of innovation and good practice in local authorities to support foster carers. In particular, we heard clear support for the Mockingbird model and were interested to hear of the Room Makers scheme to enable carers to renovate and expand their homes. We 86 welcome the …
Government response. The government reiterates its commitment to supporting foster carers, investing £25 million via the Transformation Fund for recruitment and retention, capital investment for homes (related to the Room Makers scheme), and developing a national Foster Care Statement of Expectations.
Department for Education
30
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should fund the planned recruitment hubs to set up Mockingbird constellations in every local authority. The Department should work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that housing policy is designed to support the recruitment of foster carers. This should include: investing …
Government response. The government states that existing social housing allocation schemes already allow councils to prioritise foster carers for larger homes and that capital funding supports renovations for foster care homes. They do not commit to funding Mockingbird recruitment hubs or specifically …
Department for Education
32
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department should strengthen the legislation relating to sibling contact to ensure that children in care are placed with siblings whenever it is in their best interests, and that where they cannot be placed together, regular contact between siblings is facilitated and sustained. The Department should collect data on sibling …
Government response. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will place a duty on local authorities to assess sibling relationships and support contact or placement together. The department is exploring options for collecting data on sibling separation and contact.
Department for Education
33
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
Kinship care is an essential part of the care system and the evidence is clear that children in kinship care have an overall better experience than children in other types of care. We welcome the Department for Education’s focus on kinship care, but this must be underpinned by the right …
Government response. The government committed to delivering a Kinship Financial Allowance Pilot as part of a larger £555 million investment and stated it is continuing to invest £40 million to support kinship care.
Department for Education
34
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
In its upcoming pilot of a kinship allowance, the Department for Education should ensure that the financial support is on a par with that given to foster carers. It must evaluate the pilot at the earliest opportunity and roll it out across the country once it has proven to be …
Government response. The government will launch a £40 million pilot kinship allowance in autumn 2025, providing support to 5,000 children at the same rate as foster care. The pilot will be independently evaluated concurrently, and findings will inform future national rollout decisions.
Department for Education
37
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
There is too little recognition of the impact of the early trauma and separation experienced by adopted children, and of the support they need to thrive in education and beyond, with over half of adopted children feeling that they didn’t receive the support they needed at school. (Conclusion, Paragraph 92)
Government response. The government acknowledges the importance of supporting adopted children, highlighting its commitment to the £50 million Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), which is confirmed until 2026-27, and an £8.8 million investment in Adoption England for new support plans.
Department for Education
38
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should review the educational support available to adopted children, assessing the impact of the extension of policies to previously looked-after children and whether any further extensions are needed. This review should include: the introduction of a statutory framework for previously looked-after children; requiring local authorities to …
Government response. The government will issue updated statutory guidance for Virtual School Heads and designated teachers, providing a clear framework and updated sections on previously looked-after children. However, it will not extend VSHs' statutory duties beyond advisory at this stage.
Department for Education
41
Recommendation
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
We agree that, for most children, a focus on supporting them to live in a family setting is the right one; however, this should not come at the expense of developing and maintaining high-quality residential care for children who need it. We urge the Department for Education to focus on …
Government response. The government details multiple steps to improve the children's home workforce, including improving the manager registration process, using workforce data to understand challenges, exploring capital funding for provision, and committing to review qualifications, standards, and training access for the sector.
Department for Education
43
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department should use its children’s home workforce census to review the levels of qualifications currently held by residential staff. It should also consult on introducing minimum qualification standards for residential childcare workers and work with local authorities to assess what initial action can be taken to upskill the existing …
Government response. The government has committed to reviewing qualifications, standards, and access to training for the children’s homes workforce in consultation with the sector.
Department for Education
48
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
Children in care have experienced trauma, abuse and neglect, and they are over four times more likely to suffer from emotional or mental health problems than their peers. It is therefore essential that there is a strong system in place to support them. Currently, the support available is falling far …
Government response. The government recognises the critical need for mental health support, detailing commitments to pilot multi-disciplinary approaches in 2025-26, review and update statutory guidance on health and wellbeing for looked-after children, expand the mental health workforce by 8,500 staff, and fund …
Department for Education
49
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should work with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that children in care and care leavers are prioritised for mental health support and improve training for mental health practitioners on the impact of trauma. This could be achieved by setting up co-located mental …
Government response. The government is piloting a multi-disciplinary approach in the South-East in 2025-26 to inform future pilots, including potential co-located mental health services. It is also reviewing statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children to improve mental …
Department for Education
50
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care should take forward this Committee’s recommendation to strengthen the role of mental health and emotional wellbeing in health assessments of children in care, ensuring that there is proper, effective accountability for meeting the current requirements. (Recommendation, Paragraph 122)
Government response. The government is reviewing and updating statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children, specifically to strengthen the role of mental health in health assessments and ensure clearer accountability.
Department for Education
51
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
It is essential that children in care have a voice when important decisions are being made about their lives. Currently, too few children are accessing the advocacy support they are entitled to, with an average referral rate of just 5% across local authorities. It is also essential that disabled children …
Government response. The government committed to introducing new National Standards for Advocacy for Children and Young People and revised statutory guidance in 2025, including new standards on non-instructed advocacy and safeguarding.
Department for Education
52
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education must take forward the recommendation of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care to introduce an opt-out model of independent advocacy for all children in care. It must also act 90 on the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s recommendation for all children with disabilities and complex …
Government response. The government will introduce new National Standards for Advocacy for Children and Young People and revised statutory guidance in 2025, including new standards on non-instructed advocacy and safeguarding.
Department for Education
53
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
When done carefully and effectively, reunification of children with their birth families can be a positive way of supporting children to leave care. (Conclusion, Paragraph 132)
Government response. The government highlighted its £500 million investment in Family Help and multi-agency child protection, which is expected to support safe family reunification. It also committed to publishing a practice guide for reunification in summer 2026, building on existing regulations.
Department for Education
54
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should evaluate existing reunification practice and publish national guidance on reunification, drawing on the good practice that already exists in many local authorities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 133) Disabled children’s care
Government response. The government has commissioned Foundations to develop a practice guide for reunification, due to be published in summer 2026. It also notes that existing regulations already provide direction and believes whole system change will have a greater impact than additional …
Department for Education
55
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
Too often, disabled children are overlooked in the social care system. Parents struggle to understand and access the support available and face a confusing “postcode lottery” of support between local authorities. There is an urgent need to improve access to short breaks, respite care and holiday provision; it is unacceptable …
Government response. The government referenced an existing 2011 statutory duty on local authorities to provide short breaks and noted that a Short Breaks Innovation Programme concluded in March 2025, with a report due in autumn 2025. It largely described existing frameworks and …
Department for Education
59
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department should conduct a review of the availability of short breaks, respite care and holiday provision for disabled children to understand where the shortages are most acute. It should work with the Ministry of Housing, 91 Communities and Local Government to fund local authorities to be able to offer …
Government response. The government states local authorities already have a statutory duty to provide short breaks and fund them via core budgets. It also mentions a past innovation programme and that a report on lessons learned will be published in autumn 2025, …
Department for Education
60
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department should ensure that the specialist workforce for disabled children is included in the children’s social care workforce strategy that we have recommended. The Department must review the training provided to children and families social workers and ensure that social workers are being adequately trained in the specific needs …
Government response. The government is supporting the children's social care workforce, including through the Families First Partnership Programme for training pathways. It has also consulted on new post-qualifying standards and induction support focusing on practice areas like working with disabled children and …
Department for Education
61
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education’s reforms to child protection through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill are welcome and go some way towards alleviating many of the concerns we have heard in this inquiry. There will be a need for careful testing and monitoring to assess the impact they are having …
Government response. The government is collaborating with the ONS to develop the Safety During Childhood survey, piloting it in 2025-26 with results expected late 2026-2027, to gather better data on child safety and abuse. They are also discussing future funding and will …
Department for Education
62
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
Multi-agency working is crucial in child safeguarding processes. Where there is disagreement between children’s social care and other agencies such as health, police and education on a safeguarding matter, there must be clear processes in place to review and escalate concerns providing a clear line of accountability and decision-making. (Recommendation, …
Government response. The government affirms that clear escalation processes are essential, citing existing frameworks like 'Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023'. They also highlight new Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams being introduced via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and funding for National …
Department for Education
64
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
Neglect is sadly on the rise in England and is clearly linked to poverty and poor parental mental health. The Department for Education does not appear to have a clear strategy for addressing neglect and there are concerns that the social care system is not set up well to respond …
Government response. The government states that tackling child neglect is a key part of the children’s social care reform programme, embedded in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. They describe multiple initiatives including Family Help, multi-agency reforms, early intervention, equipping professionals, and …
Department for Education
65
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education must put in place a national neglect strategy to set out how it will reduce the incidence of neglect. (Recommendation, Paragraph 161) 92
Government response. The government states that tackling child neglect is integrated into its broader children’s social care reform programme and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. They outline current and forthcoming initiatives like Family Help and multi-agency reforms, indicating these measures collectively …
Department for Education
67
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
There is an urgent need to take forward the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The introduction of the mandatory reporting duty is an important step forward, but it is limited in scope to instances of a disclosure or witnessing abuse, which are rare occurrences. We were …
Government response. The government confirms the Mandatory Reporting Duty, outlined in the Crime and Policing Bill, is progressing and will come into force one year post-Royal Assent. They commit to working with regulators to communicate the duty and are implementing wider training …
Department for Education
68
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
The Department for Education should improve training and guidance around reporting of child sexual abuse and work jointly with the Home Office towards implementing the more robust mandatory reporting duty recommended by IICSA, ensuring that the sector is well-prepared for this. (Recommendation, Paragraph 170)
Government response. The government confirms the Mandatory Reporting Duty is progressing through Parliament and will come into force one year after Royal Assent, committing to work with regulators to ensure clear communication. They also outline substantial plans to improve training for social …
Department for Education
71
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
Ofsted and the Department for Education should ensure that the inspection system that replaces single-word judgements does not penalise providers who take on children with complex needs, while also ensuring that children with complex needs are placed in settings with the appropriate skills to provide a high quality of care …
Government response. The government is amending legislation to allow deprivation of liberty in more settings and is launching a test-and-learn project to improve placements for children with complex needs. They also confirm continued collaboration with Ofsted as it removes single-headline judgements across …
Department for Education
75
Conclusion
4th Report - Children’s social care
Accepted
As a priority, the Department for Education must develop a National Care Offer to harmonise the postcode lottery in entitlements and ensure that care leavers receive a minimum level of support, wherever they live. (Recommendation, Paragraph 194)
Government response. The government outlines the existing core package of support for care leavers under the Children Act 1989, which includes a Personal Adviser, accommodation, and financial support. It states that the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will strengthen this by requiring …
Department for Education