Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Ofsted report on inspections on 5 and 6 January 2022 relating to Achieve Care Homes Limited, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) potential merits of strengthening regulations on child social care providers and (b) role of profit-making companies in the provision of children's social care.

Ensuring that vulnerable children remain protected is a top priority for this government.

There is a rigorous Ofsted inspection regime in place for the inspection and monitoring of children’s homes, enabling Ofsted to take action when standards are not met.

However, we should always look to improve the system. The department will consider the recommendations of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) who have been examining the lack of availability and increasing costs in children’s social care provision. The CMA published its report and recommendations on 10 March 2022. The department also expects the Independent Care Review to make recommendations on how to make social care system work better to safeguard and improve the lives of vulnerable children.