Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Require Department for Education to issue comprehensive response to Children’s Social Care Review by year-end.
Recommendation
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 have not. It must evaluate the impact of the pilot programmes which have already taken place and set out how it plans to scale up those which prove to be effective. (Recommendation, Paragraph 9)
Government Response Summary
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.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We are committed to transparency and continuous evaluation. An initial independent evaluation of the Families First for Children pathfinder programme has promising early findings5, including improved multi-agency collaboration and more consistent support for children. Further impact evaluations are underway and will inform our approach to scaling effective interventions. Since April 2025 we have been rolling out the Families First Partnership programme in every local area, backed by over £500 million annually from 2025–26. Subject to the Bill’s passage, we will update Parliament and the sector on implementation plans and timelines for both legislative and non-legislative reforms. The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care recommended an investment of £2.6 billion over four years to deliver transformational reform, including approximately £2 billion to implement proposed changes to 1 Keeping children safe, helping families thrive (November 2024) 2 Independent review of children’s social care–final report (May 2022) 3 Competition and Markets Authority study into children’s social care (March 2022) 4 Child Protection in England (May 2022) 5 Families first for children pathfinder Implementation and process evaluation report: early findings Family Help. The Government’s current investment of over £2 billion over the three-year spending review period aligns with this ambition, particularly in prioritising preventative services through £1.57 billion investment in the Families First Partnership Programme. In addition, the Government has confirmed £555 million in Transformation funding to support the delivery of key social care commitments under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and to continue our investment in family help, kinship and foster care reforms. On top of this, we are providing £560 million in capital funding to refurbish and expand residential care and provide more fostering placements. We recognise that, three years on from the publication of the Independent Review, some recommendations may require adaptation to reflect current system pressures and local contexts. Our approach remains flexible and responsive to evolving needs.