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Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 makes major changes to the child welfare system in England. Family Rights Group successfully influenced the new laws to help make sure children and families get the support they need to stay safely together. The Act became law in April 2026.
We worked with young people and families to influence the Government’s plans. We also worked with politicians to put forward changes in Parliament to make sure this delivers real positive change.
We have secured four landmark changes:
1. Family Group Decision Making
Supporting more children to remain safely in their family. Before children enter the care system, local authorities must first offer families the opportunity to come up with solutions for their child’s welfare. We have long called for families to be offered a family group conference – the gold standard of family group decision making – when there are care or protection concerns about their child.
2. Kinship care defined in law
Improved recognition for all kinship families which paves the way to a more effective support system. A success for our Time to Define campaign.
3. The new Kinship Local Offer
Every local authority in England must work with children and families in kinship care to set out the support they offer in their area. We proposed the Kinship Local Offer.
4. Brothers and sisters staying connected
Children in the care system will have a right to reasonable contact with their brothers and sisters. This follows 13 years of campaigning by Family Rights Group and others.
Alongside these changes, we have worked with families and other child and family welfare organisations to influence the Government’s wider plans. This includes:
- How reforms to early help and children protection processes promote partnership with children and families and ensure they can get the help they need early.
- Ensuring young people leaving the care system have loving, lasting relationships they can turn to throughout life. See our Lifelong Links approach.
- Analysing the Government’s plans to address the rise in children being deprived of their liberty in inappropriate and unsuitable accommodation. Read this blog from our legal adviser, Frances Edwards.
- Working with Pause to improve support to reduce the risk of a baby being removed from the care of a mother who has already had a child or children removed from her care. Read our joint briefing.
The need for reform is urgent. There are record numbers of children in the care system. Families in crisis are not being helped early enough. Children face separation from their brothers and sisters. Family members and friends who step up as kinship carers to care for children are often overlooked and under-supported.
While we celebrate progress, there is more work to do. We will continue to campaign, influence and constructively challenge to secure the change children and their families need.
Below you can find videos, briefings, blogs and articles from our work to influence these changes in the law.
Videos
Azariah Hope, an expert by experience, explains how a family group conference could have given her mother the support she needed and prevented Azariah from being taken into care. However, this support was not made available to their family.
👉 https://t.co/kvpHOKGIFz pic.twitter.com/KC6sm5r9bm— Family Rights Group (@FamilyRightsGp) January 22, 2025
🟡MORE THAN A MEETING, MORE THAN A PLAN🟡
The family group conference process puts families at the heart of decision making. It ensures they are listened to and gives them true agency in decisions about their own family. Lorna, an expert by experience, shares her experience. pic.twitter.com/Fbc6Ie3NVQ— Family Rights Group (@FamilyRightsGp) January 23, 2025
Briefings and articles
Lords Report Stage Briefing
Read our short briefing shared with Peers for the Report Stage of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
DownloadLords Committee Briefing - Amendments
Read our briefing shared with Peers for Committee Stage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This details the amendments Family Rights Group has proposed and is supporting.
DownloadLords Second Reading Briefing
Read our detailed briefing shared with Peers for Second Reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
DownloadMarch 2025 Parliamentary Briefing
Read our detailed briefing shared with MPs for Report and Third Reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
DownloadWritten evidence to Education Select Committee - February 2025
Read our written evidence to the Education Select Committee on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
DownloadWritten evidence to the Bill Committee - January 2025
Read our written evidence to the Bill Committee on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including proposed amendments
DownloadJanuary 2025 Parliamentary Briefing
Read our detailed briefing shared with MPs for the Second Reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Download
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