I recently raised the need for suitable housing for Looked After Children, in response to a Government statement on reforming children’s social care. An estimated 70,000 children across the UK are living in a children’s home or with foster carers.

Last year’s MacAllister Report recommended that the Government should support Local Authorities’ efforts to deliver the vast majority of children’s social care provision.

At present councils are too often forced to outsource provision to private companies, or to house children outside of their local areas, putting them at risk of abuse, neglect and criminal exploitation.

I’m pleased to see Bristol City Council is using DfE funding to set up two new children’s homes for children with specific and complex needs. We now need to see greater commitment from the Government to ensure more placements can be provided in-house and to tackle profiteering by private providers.

Watch clip here.