Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
4th Report - Children’s social care
Education Committee
HC 430
Published 10 July 2025
Conclusions (4)
9
Conclusion
Rejected
The Department should clarify the specific model of FGDM in statutory guidance to ensure that best practice is followed in all local authorities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22)
Government Response Summary
The government states it does not prescribe a specific model of Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), leaving the decision to local authorities, but will provide general statutory and best practice guidance to support delivery.
19
Conclusion
Rejected
The Department for Education must publish a national sufficiency strategy for children’s social care as a matter of urgency and publish data on the extent to which sufficiency requirements are being met on an annual basis. It should also require all local authorities to develop and publish strategies for reducing …
Government Response Summary
The government rejects publishing a national sufficiency strategy, stating that local authorities are best placed for sufficiency planning. Instead, they are supporting regional collaboration through Regional Care Cooperatives and investing £560 million to expand local authority placements.
36
Conclusion
Rejected
The Department for Education should extend Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority school admissions to all children who meet the new statutory definition of living in kinship care. (Recommendation, Paragraph 85)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects extending Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority school admissions to all children in kinship care, citing limited evidence and a lack of national data. They are, however, exploring collecting this data for future policy development.
45
Conclusion
Rejected
The Department for Education must follow the recommendation of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and develop universal standards of care that apply to all homes, including supported accommodation, ensuring that children in all settings receive care where they live. (Recommendation, Paragraph 105)
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to develop a single universal set of standards, stating it is instead focusing on updating outdated National Minimum Standards and aligning them with more recently developed ones.