Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to reform the Care Standards Act to improve the oversight and checks of providers of child 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.