Martin Pratt, Chair of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS) and Cllr Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“We welcome the attention the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) report has drawn to the critical failings in the placement market which acutely impact upon the lives of children in care. The CMA rightly identifies dysfunctions in this market, which allow some providers to make excessive profits, while leaving local authorities without the necessary choice to select placements which meet the needs of our most vulnerable children and young people.
“Across London boroughs’ children’s services we have been working on the collaborative structures recommended by the CMA, which will enable us to use our collective purchasing power to drive improved quality, cost and choice in children’s placements. A business case has been developed to establish a Pan-London Vehicle which will commission on behalf of London local authorities to enable better value from the placements market. We will look to central government to support the further development in London of our collaborative commissioning approach and to invest in the in-house fostering services which the CMA have found to be cost-effective.”