Corporate parenting duty to be placed on government departments and public bodies

Government departments and public bodies are to be placed under a duty to promote life chances for children in care and care leavers in England, the Department for Education (DfE) has revealed.

They would be placed under a “corporate parenting duty”, through government amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, ministers’ legislative vehicle for reforming children’s social care.

What corporate parenting duty involves

The duty, tabled by education secretary Bridget Phillipson, would require agencies, when exercising their functions, to

• be alert to matters which adversely affect, or might adversely  affect, the wellbeing of looked-after children and care leavers (aged up to 25);
• assess what services or support they provide are or may be available for looked-after children and care leavers;
• seek to provide opportunities for looked-after children and care leavers to participate in activities designed to promote their wellbeing or enhance their employment prospects;
• take such action as they consider appropriate to help looked-after children and care leavers make use of services and access support, that they provide and access opportunities to promote their wellbeing or enhance their employment prospects.

Scope of duty

The duty would apply to all government departments, generally in relation to their functions in England, Ofsted, English schools and colleges, NHS bodies in England, the Youth Justice Board and the Care Quality Commission.

The relevant departments and agencies would be required to co-operate with each other, and with local authorities, in exercising the duty where they considered that doing so would safeguard or promote the wellbeing of looked-after children or care leavers.

They would also have to have regard to any guidance published by the DfE on the corporate parenting duty, while the department would have to publish a report every three years on its own exercise of the duty.

The provision would not apply to the government’s immigration and asylum functions, while departments and agencies would only have to exercise the duty to the extent that it was consistent with the proper exercise of its functions and was reasonably practicable.

The amendments will be debated when the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill returns to the House of Commons next week, but are certain to be passed because of the government’s large majority.

Existing council corporate parenting responsibilities

The new duty would complement the existing corporate parenting duty on councils, under section 1 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017. This requires them, in the exercise of their functions in relation to looked-after children and care leavers, to have regard to the need:

• to act in their best interests, and promote their physical and mental health and wellbeing;
• to encourage them to express their views, wishes and feelings;
• to take into account their views, wishes and feelings;
• to help them gain access to, and make the best use of, services provided by authorities and their relevant partners;
• to promote high aspirations, and seek to secure the best outcomes, for the children and young people;
• for children and young people to be safe, and for stability in their home lives, relationships and education or work;
• to prepare those children and young people for adulthood and independent living.

The plan to introduce the duty was referenced in a children’s social care policy paper, published in November 2024, but not included in the original text of the bill.

This prompted criticism from organisations including the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and children’s charity Become.

Support for children in care ‘can’t end with local authority’

Become welcomed the proposed duty, with chief executive Katharine Sacks-Jones saying: “For children in care to thrive support can’t end with their local authority.

“Health, welfare, education and other services play a huge role in their lives and can shape their futures. We welcome this much needed step to ensure more public bodies take responsibility for supporting young people to live happy and healthy lives.”

However, the charity said it would be studying the proposals to see how they could be strengthened.