In May 2022, the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (a.k.a the “Care Review”) called for urgent reform and investment of £2.6 billion of new spending over four years to address a spiralling crisis in children’s social care. It put forward a multi-year reform programme, based on the Government beginning work immediately following the launch last year. The Government published its response Stable Homes, Built on Love in February 2023, announcing that it would spend the two years until 2025 to test a new approach in up to 12 local authorities, committing only £200 million in the interim.
The analysis in this briefing shows that delaying the national reform process for children’s social care will cost taxpayers billions over the long run, and lead to thousands more children in care.