Member

On Amendment 94, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, asked for clarity and it was suggested that local authority performance in relation to Staying Close support should be more visible so as to drive improvement. It is, of course, essential that we have the powers in place to ensure that local authorities fully carry out their duties and ensure young people receive the best possible care and support. In December 2022, Ofsted updated the Inspecting Local Authority Children's Services framework to include a separate judgment on the experiences and progress of care leavers, and that began in January 2023. We expect Ofsted to review local authority performance in relation to the delivery of such support within its care leaver inspection of local authority children’s services; these inspections are published once complete.