Lack of urgency and slow pace in implementing children’s social care strategy is concerning - Lords Committee asks for updates

In May 2023, the House of Lords Public Services Committee published its report on the Government’s Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy. The report concluded that the Strategy lacked the scale, ambition, funding and pace to realise any immediate benefit to most children and families. The Government’s response and evidence received by the Committee late last year in a session to review progress on the final Strategy have done little to change that conclusion.  While the Government’s response was encouraging in some respects, the Committee have today written to the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing to raise concerns with the lack of urgency and the pace of implementation.

In the letter, the Committee raises various concerns and asks the Government to provide updates on issues including;

• Timescales for implementation of the Strategy and when these were last reviewed, including information on the cost of any delays, and interim arrangements for the social care system prior to full implementation and resourcing plans;
• Plans for interdepartmental coordination to ensure political buy-in and departmental accountability;
• Action to ensure Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs) are operating effectively and plans for regular evaluation;
• Transparency on progress: whether the department will publish the RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating collated by the National Implementation Board to facilitate full evaluation of overall progress.

Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee said;

“It was clear when we published our report back in May last year that while the Government’s heart was in the right place in its approach to tackling issues with children’s social care, the proposed Strategy would not produce the benefits quickly enough to make a much-needed immediate difference. Now that the full Strategy is published and implementation is in progress, this has become fact. The lack of urgency in implementing significant changes means that the ‘golden opportunity’ presented by the Strategy has been wasted. 

“Implementation so far has been gradual and piecemeal with many reforms still being subject to trial periods. This is despite the fact that we have heard constantly from witnesses that they already know what works. Proven interventions need to be put in place as quickly as possible so children and families can start to realise the benefits. 

“We’ve asked the Government to provide details of its plans to ensure the Strategy is given sufficient priority on its agenda and provide timescales in relation to increased resourcing, information sharing and inter-departmental working.   

“The Government definitely needs to operate at pace if it wants to effectively tackle the issues across the children’s social care system and introduce reforms that will benefit vulnerable young children and families. We look forward to receiving updates on the progress made.”