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Local Authority Children’s Services
28 January 2026
Lead MP
Will Forster
Woking
LD
Responding Minister
Josh MacAlister
Tags
EducationEmploymentSafeguarding & DBS
Word Count: 13781
Other Contributors: 15
At a Glance
Will Forster raised concerns about local authority children’s services in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Forster called on the Government to recognise and address different funding challenges faced by rural constituencies like his own and ensure adequate resourcing for vulnerable children. He stressed the need to end the postcode lottery affecting children's safety and welfare.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Mr Will Forster highlighted the death of a 10-year-old girl, Sara, who was abused and tortured. He cited numerous cases where Surrey county council failed to protect children with special educational needs or those in dangerous domestic situations. The MP also mentioned that despite the tragic circumstances surrounding Sara's murder, the senior officer responsible for children’s services received a pay rise of £8,700.
Adam Dance
LD
Yeovil
Somerset council faces high costs for residential care services, with some companies charging up to £15,000 per week. A non-profit partnership is making progress but needs more support from the government.
David Chadwick
Con
Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe
Powys county council has made significant progress in rebuilding children’s services since 2022 under Liberal Democrat leadership, focusing on strengthening leadership, supporting the workforce and putting children's safety back at the centre of decision making. Stressed the importance of advocacy for children in care and highlighted improvements in Welsh local authorities.
Edward Morello
Lab
Brent Central
Families in rural areas face a system that is too distant, fragmented and under strain. Local authorities’ budgets are under immense pressure, particularly in rural areas where delivering support is inherently more expensive. Discussed a conversation with the council about providing local provision for autistic children instead of paying private providers high fees, emphasizing that this could save money and reduce travel distances for parents. Highlighted the rural dimension of children's social care and emphasised the need for dispersed access to services.
Gareth Snell
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent Central
Highlighted the situation of more than 1,000 children in care and offered proactive support from the Department to improve local services.
Gideon Amos
LD
Taunton and Wellington
Mr Gideon Amos agreed that funding is an issue, especially for remote areas. He noted that Somerset faces higher costs for home-to-school transport but no longer benefits from the funding uplift, which he found shocking.
Iqbal Mohamed
Ind
Dewsbury and Batley
Acknowledged improvements in Kirklees council's children’s services but highlighted insufficient support for kinship carers, with almost half rating local authority support as poor or very poor. Highlighed progress made in Kirklees council and stressed the need for further funding reform through the Families First programme.
Jack Rankin
Con
Windsor
Mr Rankin spoke about the need for long-term funding, processes to learn from past mistakes, and highlighted the importance of supporting frontline staff. He also mentioned the high number of children in need and local authority care.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Local children’s services are essential, providing support before minor issues escalate into crises. The hon. Member highlights the importance of early help approaches and the work done in his constituency. Highlighted Northern Ireland’s model of step-down care in fostering and its relevance to the rest of the UK.
John Whitby
Lab
Derbyshire Dales
Highlights the damage caused by austerity measures in local authorities, leading to an increase in children entering care and a placement sufficiency crisis. Calls for greater support from the government to address these issues. Stressed the importance of fostering and highlighted the work of Mockingbird constellations to support foster carers.
Luke Myer
Lab
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Paid tribute to staff in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland children’s services, highlighting the immense pressure they face due to complex challenges from austerity cuts. Congratulated local Labour team on their work to turn around children’s social care services in Tees Valley.
Twickenham
Pays tribute to those working on the frontline, often overworked and underpaid. Highlights funding challenges for local authorities which may lead to short-term decisions costing more in the long run. Agreed with Edward Morello's point regarding the inefficiency of using different pots of money to fund private special schools instead of investing in local state-run alternatives.
Rachael Maskell
Lab/Co-op
York Central
Paying tribute to the MP for Woking, she highlighted York's journey from 'requires improvement' to 'outstanding'. Despite having the lowest level of funding per capita after a fair funding review, they managed to cut costs by £7 million and innovate for change. She urged the Minister to integrate mental health services around children and invest in the 1,001 critical days for early intervention. Praised Martin Kelly's team in York for their transformative work with children and families, highlighting the concept of safe uncertainty.
Richard Foord
Con
Honiton and Sidmouth
Devon county council's children’s services face significant challenges, with a high reliance on agency staff costing more than permanent workers. Progress has been made but further investment is needed to stabilize the workforce and reduce profiteering by providers of residential homes. Summarised social work judgment issues and welcomed progress in workforce stability in Devon, despite ongoing concerns over service delivery.
Tim Farron
LD
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Mr Tim Farron supported Forster's stance on rural areas needing integrated services like special educational needs provision, health integration, and transportation. He highlighted a 29% funding cut for Westmorland and Furness council over three years as an example of how such cuts impact children's safety.
Zöe Franklin
Con
Guildford
Discusses failures in safeguarding and education in Surrey, highlighting cases where children are at risk due to high thresholds for intervention. Asks the Minister to review whether Surrey county council is meeting its statutory duties. Emphasised the crucial role of education in safeguarding partnerships and requested a written response regarding specific situations.
Government Response
Josh MacAlister
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
Government Response
Acknowledged the tragic death of Sara Sharif and committed to writing to the hon. Member for Woking, setting out the Government’s actions in response to the LCSPR recommendations. Recognised the work of various MPs contributing to the debate, including praising Martin Kelly's team in York and welcoming progress in workforce stability in Devon while maintaining an intervention until necessary improvements are made. The Minister also confirmed proactive support from the Department for Stoke-on-Trent Central and promised to look into specific situations raised by the hon. Member for Guildford. Responded to concerns raised by MPs, highlighting progress with £2.4 billion investment through the Families First programme and reforms in child protection teams. He discussed plans to close loopholes where families abuse the children not in school register system and announced £3 billion of capital spending for special educational needs provision.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.