Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on consultation with families before moving adults with learning disabilities to supported living or residential placements.

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people, and that offer quality and value for money.

There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on disabled adults and their families. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them. This is reflected in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which supports local authorities to fulfil their Care Act duties, including expectations around involvement and co‑production with people who draw on care and support and their families.