Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will respond to the Competition and Markets Authority report entitled Children's social care market study, published on 10 March 2022.

On 2 February 2023, the government published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love', an implementation strategy which responds to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, as well as the National Panel review into the tragic murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, and the Competition and Markets Authority Study into Children’s Social Care placements.

The ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1147317/Children_s_social_care_stable_homes_consultation_February_2023.pdf.

The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1141532/Independent_review_of_children_s_social_care_-_Final_report.pdf.

The National Panel review on child protection report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1078488/ALH_SH_National_Review_26-5-22.pdf.

The Children’s social care market study can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1059575/Final_report.pdf.

These reviews made a case for extensive reforms across children’s social care, and the department has carefully considered all recommendations. The government has accepted the overwhelming majority of recommendations from these three reviews and published a response to each within ‘Stable homes, Built on Love’.

An overview of the Competition and Markets Authority report recommendations and government’s response to these recommendations, can be found at Annex 5 of the strategy.