Get in on the Act: Children and Social Work Act 2017

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 (the Act) is intended to improve support for looked after children and care leavers, promote the welfare and safeguarding of children, and make provisions about the regulation of social workers.

View allChildren and young people articles

The Act sets out corporate parenting principles for the council as a whole to be the best parent it can be to children in its care. These are largely a collation of existing duties local authorities have towards looked after children and those leaving care.

Local authorities will be required to publish their support offer to care leavers and to promote the educational attainment of children who have been adopted or placed in other long-term arrangements.

The legislation extends the current considerations of the court when making decisions about the long-term placement of children to include an assessment of current and future needs and of any relationship with the prospective adopter.