Member

On Amendment 51, I agree with my noble friend Lord Bellingham that it is essential that regional commissioning arrangements include health funding, and that the ICBs are a named partner in the regional care co-operatives. It would be helpful if the Government set out the long-term funding model for regional care co-operatives. Several years on, there is still concern about the lack of sufficient funding for regional adoption agencies. The Government will want to avoid the same happening to regional care co-operatives. Without giving a clear statutory duty for the involvement of ICBs and health to align with their new corporate parenting duties, there is a concern that there will be a lack of funding and the specialist health expertise that is so critical for these children. So, I hope that the Government might, even at this late stage, reconsider their position.