Member

Why does all this matter? The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces new duties such as mandatory family group decision-making without first ensuring comprehensive support across all forms of kinship care arrangements. This approach risks pushing families into arrangements without adequate support. The consequences could be serious: poorer outcomes for families; more legal challenges against local authorities; and increased placement breakdowns. When kinship arrangements fail, children often end up in more expensive, unrelated foster or residential care, which, in turn, raises long-term costs for local authorities and the state. The sequence of reform is vital for achieving the Government’s kinship care goal. Support for all kinship arrangements, including those outside local authority care, should have been secured before introducing new duties that encourage their use.