The House of Commons Education Committee has published its report on the state of children’s social care in England. The inquiry considered a wide range of evidence relating to foster care, adoption, kinship care, children’s homes, supported accommodation, and support for disabled children. The report identifies key trends, challenges, and recommendations for improving outcomes and consistency across services.
📈 Context and Key Statistics
In 2024, the number of children looked after by local authorities in England reached 83,630, marking a 20% increase since 2014. The report highlights data showing that 39% of care leavers aged 19–21 are not in education, employment or training (NEET), and one-third become homeless within two years of leaving care. Additionally, 24% of the adult prison population have spent time in care.
The Committee links rising demand for children’s social care to factors such as increased child poverty, cost-of-living pressures, and reductions in early intervention services.
🏠 Children’s Homes and Supported Accommodation
The report identifies pressures on the availability, location, and quality of placements. In 2024, 45% of looked-after children were placed outside their local authority area, and 22% were placed more than 20 miles from home.
It also references concerns about the use of barges and caravans for some 16–17-year-olds in supported accommodation. The Committee notes that recent regulatory changes have introduced an inspection framework for this type of provision and recommends that universal care standards apply to all residential settings.
The Committee recommends the Department for Education (DfE):
- Publish a national sufficiency strategy for children’s social care placements
- Require local authorities to produce local sufficiency strategies
- Share and scale good practice between areas
🧭 National Care Offer for Care Leavers
The Committee proposes the creation of a National Care Offer, a consistent package of financial, housing and practical support for care leavers. The aim is to reduce regional variation and provide a baseline level of provision across all local authorities.
The Committee also recommends:
- The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) exempts care leavers from proposed Universal Credit reductions for under-22s
- Prioritising care leavers for Youth Guarantee support
- Engaging care-experienced young people in policymaking
🧒 Early Intervention and Funding Allocation
While overall spending on children’s social care rose from £8.1bn in 2014/15 to £12.8bn in 2022/23, the Committee notes a decline in early intervention funding. The 2021 Spending Review announced £555m for reform and £560m for capital projects.
Recommendation:
- Allocate a majority of new funding to early intervention
- Restore early intervention budgets to 2010 levels in real terms
👨👩👧👦 Foster and Kinship Care
The Committee identifies a need for an estimated 6,500 additional foster carers and calls for a national fostering strategy. It also highlights the role of kinship carers, who are often family members or close friends caring for children unable to live with their parents.
Recommendations include:
- Aligning kinship care allowances with foster care
- Introducing entitlements to kinship leave
- Coordinating with housing policy to support foster carer recruitment
👩💼 Workforce Strategy
The report references workforce pressures, including high staff turnover and workload. Data cited shows that 54% of social workers report unmanageable caseloads and 47% lack sufficient time with families.
Recommendation:
- Develop a children’s social care workforce strategy
- Consider pay, training incentives, and awareness-raising measures
♿ Disabled Children
Evidence presented to the Committee suggests that families of disabled children often struggle to access support, respite, or short breaks. There is variation in eligibility and provision across local authorities.
Recommendations:
- Introduce national eligibility criteria
- Improve communication of entitlements
- Fund short breaks and holiday provision in line with local need
🔍 Other Areas Covered
The report also makes recommendations related to:
- The role of Ofsted and regulatory oversight
- Responding to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care
- Addressing market dynamics in residential care
- Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse
📄 Access the Report
The full report includes a detailed summary of findings, supporting evidence, and over 20 formal recommendations directed to the Department for Education and other relevant government departments.
📘 Read the full report here:
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/203/education-committee/news/208247/how-to-fix-childrens-social-care-and-restore-care-leavers-life-chances-report/
