Consultation Response: Stable Homes, Built on Love

This document sets out our response to the Government’s Stable Homes, Built on Love consultation on children’s social care reform.

We broadly welcome the direction of travel, particularly the strong focus on prevention, family support, workforce development and a more coherent national framework.

Our response reflects our long‑standing calls for reform that keeps local government at the heart of delivery and prioritises early intervention to reduce the number of children entering care.

However, we raise significant concerns that the ambition of the reforms is not matched by the level of funding committed, warning that without sufficient investment the proposals risk increasing pressure on already overstretched councils and services.

Recommendations to government include:

• Provide substantially increased, long‑term funding to match the scale of reform.
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• Prioritise investment in family help and early intervention to reduce demand for care.
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• Ensure local authorities are central partners in designing and implementing reforms.
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• Strengthen multi‑agency working, including accountability within health systems.