Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address rising costs of placements for children in care, and to ensure the availability of high-quality, affordable placements nationwide.

Every child in care should have a safe, loving home which is also value for money for the taxpayer.

The department is empowering local authorities to secure the best placements for looked after children at a price that is fair to the taxpayer. We know local authorities cannot do this alone, so we are also taking action at a national level to reshape the market. Through our package of measures, including those set out in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we will rebalance the market, improve competition, regulation and commissioning of placements, shine a light on the level of profit being made, and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying.