Children: Social Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to help improve local authorities’ children’s services a) across the country and b) where children’s services teams are being transferred to new local authorities as a result of local government reorganisation.
Answered by Department for Education
We are delivering the biggest overhaul of children’s social care in a generation, investing significantly to support local authorities to improve services for children and families. Through the £2.4 billion Families First Partnership programme, we are helping local authorities strengthen early intervention, family help and child protection services. Earlier this year, we passed the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which includes landmark measures to help families stay together, keep children safe, and support children in the care system to thrive.
Throughout the local government reorganisation process, it is essential that local authorities continue to deliver their children’s services and duties. The department provides targeted support to local authorities through our Improvement and Intervention Programme, including expert advisers, children’s social care improvement teams and special educational needs and disabilities sector-led improvement partnerships. Our regional teams will work closely with the new unitary local authorities on the support necessary for strong children’s services.
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