Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposal in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care to place (a) fostering and (b) other children's services at a regional level; and whether he has made an assessment of how his Department would maintain an effective relationship with the local authorities that deliver those services.

The recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care must be considered carefully.

Very shortly, the department will organise many more of its functions including children’s social care, special educational needs and disability improvement and schools functions regionally to ensure we can better meet the needs of our users, including local authorities. This will set the department up to respond more effectively to local needs and understand how local contexts impact children and families.