4th Report - Children’s social care
Select Committee
Education Committee
HC 430
10 July 2025
Government Response (AI assessment · 78 of 78 classified)
Accepted
45
Acknowledged
15
Deferred
5
Rejected
4
Government response
5th Special Report - Children’s social care: Government Response · published 17 Oct 2025
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
9
Conclusion
Rejected
Clarify specific family group decision-making model within statutory guidance for consistent practice.
Conclusion
The Department should clarify the specific model of FGDM in statutory guidance to ensure that best practice is followed in all local authorities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22)
Government Response Summary
The government states it does not prescribe a specific model of Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), leaving the decision to local authorities, but will provide general statutory and best practice guidance to support delivery.
Department for Education
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19
Conclusion
Rejected
Publish national children's social care sufficiency strategy and mandate local out-of-area placement reduction plans.
Conclusion
The Department for Education must publish a national sufficiency strategy for children’s social care as a matter of urgency and publish data on the extent to which sufficiency requirements are being met on an annual basis. It should also require …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects publishing a national sufficiency strategy, stating that local authorities are best placed for sufficiency planning. Instead, they are supporting regional collaboration through Regional Care Cooperatives and investing £560 million to expand local authority placements.
Department for Education
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36
Conclusion
Rejected
Extend Pupil Premium Plus and priority school admissions to all kinship care children.
Conclusion
The Department for Education should extend Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority school admissions to all children who meet the new statutory definition of living in kinship care. (Recommendation, Paragraph 85)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects extending Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority school admissions to all children in kinship care, citing limited evidence and a lack of national data. They are, however, exploring collecting this data for future policy development.
Department for Education
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45
Conclusion
Rejected
Develop universal standards of care applicable to all children's homes, including supported accommodation.
Conclusion
The Department for Education must follow the recommendation of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and develop universal standards of care that apply to all homes, including supported accommodation, ensuring that children in all settings receive care where they …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to develop a single universal set of standards, stating it is instead focusing on updating outdated National Minimum Standards and aligning them with more recently developed ones.
Department for Education
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