Lords Chamber
Thursday 12th March 2026
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11:07
Oral questions: Ending the use of illegal accommodation for children in care and secure sufficient regulated care
11:07
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Labour)
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Baroness Blake of Leeds (Labour)
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the question. Standing in my name on the Order Paper. clear and registered placements must stop. Powers in the children's Well-Being and Schools Bill will allow Ofsted to issue monetary penalties, enabling faster action against unregistered providers. We are investing £560 million in capital funding up to 2930 to increase appropriate registered placements, including through registered regional care co-operatives. We will strengthen kinship care and invest £2.4 billion in the Families First Partnership program to support families keeping them together, thereby reducing residential demand, which is driving reliance on unregistered placements.
**** Possible New Speaker ****
I thank the Minister for that answer. I mean, it really should shame all of us in this country that for many years, our system for protecting the most vulnerable children is pushing hundreds of them each year into unregistered homes, illegal homes, homes that are not inspected. And addressing this, as the Minister says, is very this, as the Minister says, is very complex. It involves kinship care, resource regulation. And I do welcome the government's commitment
**** Possible New Speaker ****
I thank the Minister for that answer. I mean, it really should shame all of us in this country that for many years, our system for protecting the most vulnerable children is pushing hundreds of them each year into unregistered homes, illegal homes, homes that are not inspected. And addressing this, as the Minister says, is very this, as the Minister says, is very complex. It involves kinship care, resource regulation. And I do welcome the government's commitment
11:08
Lord Wood of Anfield (Labour)
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Lord Wood of Anfield (Labour)
welcome the government's commitment to clamping down on the growing, unregulated sector. But can I ask the Minister what the plans of this government are and specifically to expand foster care, which is a crucial part of alleviating the pressure on local authorities that leads to the growth of unregulated places. Yeah.
11:09
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Labour)
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Baroness Blake of Leeds (Labour)
Can I thank my noble friend for all of the work that he does in all of the work that he does in this area, regularly raising the profile. And I do want to ensure him and noble Lords that places in loving foster homes for children who need them is one of our top priorities. In February, we published an ambitious fostering