Children’s Social Care Report

Just before recess, the Education Select Committee published our Children’s Social Care report. This is an enquiry that has been running since 2023 and covers an extremely important subject.

There has been a 20% increase in the number of looked after children over the last 10 years. The outcomes for care-experienced young people are very poor, despite the incredible dedication of professionals working in the sector. More children are being placed further away from their local areas due to a shortage of placements, and rising costs have hit local authorities hard.

We have made a comprehensive list of recommendations to Government to deal with this challenge and ensure that all children get the best possible start in life. I’m grateful to all the witnesses and experts, especially the care leavers, that took the time to give us evidence over the course of this enquiry. We now look forward to the Government’s response to our recommendations later this year.

See the full report here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmselect/cmeduc/430/report.html