In December 2022, a House of Lords select committee published a report on the Children and Families Act 2014, which came into force on 13 March 2014. The report concluded that the act was an example of “inadequate implementation” and had “ultimately failed” to “meaningfully improve” the lives of children and young people. It attributed this “failure” to several things, including insufficient data collection, implementation and scrutiny of the CFA.
In response, the government said that whilst some parts of the CFA required continued focus on their implementation, there were other parts that have had a positive impact on children and families. However, it agreed that reform was needed in children’s social care to ensure it delivers for all and that the committee’s recommendations were at the heart of its plans to carry out such reform.
The House of Commons Library has published an article summarising the committee’s findings, as well as the government’s response. For the article, click here.
