MS, Minister for Children and
Social Care: In March last year, we achieved a significant
milestone as the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 received
Royal Assent. The Act includes provision intended to prevent the
extraction of profit by providers of children's home, secure
accommodation and fostering services. Since then, we've
been working on implementation of the removing profit commitment
– a public consultation on
proposed regulatory changes and an approach to monitoring and
enforcing provisions around unreasonable or
disproportionate financial arrangements took place last summer,
and the consultation response was published last month.
Today, I am pleased to launch a further
consultation to support implementation of the
removing profit commitments. This consultation concerns
implementation of new duties on local authorities to prepare and
publish an annual sufficiency plan setting out how they will meet
their duty to secure appropriate accommodation for children
looked after, in line with the removing profit provisions.
Annual sufficiency plans are intended to strengthen strategic
planning and promote a more coherent, transparent and sustainable
approach to meeting the needs of children and young people in
care. Through this consultation, we are seeking views on
the proposed approach to regulations that will set out the form,
content and preparation of these plans. This includes proposals
to introduce a consistent national template, to specify core
information that plans should contain, and to establish clear
processes for submission to and approval by Welsh Ministers.
Engagement and co‑production with local authorities and partners
is central to this work. We have worked extensively with local
government, including through the Association of Directors of
Social Services Cymru and heads of children's services, to
develop the proposals set out in this consultation. Their early
input has been invaluable, and I am committed to continuing this
collaborative approach as we refine the regulations and prepare
the supporting guidance and templates.
This consultation is an important opportunity for local
authorities and other key stakeholders to help shape how these
new duties are implemented in practice. The feedback we receive
will play a crucial role in ensuring that annual sufficiency
plans are proportionate, meaningful and effective in supporting
better outcomes for children looked after.
The consultation is open for responses until 7 April 2026. I
encourage all those with an interest in the future of children's
social care in Wales to engage with the consultation and share
their views.
