A new consultation has been launched on plans to strengthen how local authorities in Wales provide accommodation for children in care, as part of efforts to remove profit from children’s social care.

The consultation follows the passing of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in March last year. The Act includes measures aimed at preventing profit being made by providers of children’s homes, secure accommodation and fostering services.

Since the legislation was passed, the Welsh Government has been working on how the changes will be put into practice. A public consultation on regulatory changes and how to monitor and enforce limits on financial arrangements took place last summer, with the government publishing its response last month.

The latest consultation focuses on new duties for local authorities to prepare and publish an annual “sufficiency plan”. These plans would set out how councils will meet their responsibility to secure suitable accommodation for children looked after, in line with the removal of profit provisions.

According to the Welsh Government, the annual plans are intended to improve long-term planning and create a more transparent and sustainable approach to meeting the needs of children and young people in care. Proposals include introducing a consistent national template, setting out core information that must be included, and establishing clear processes for submitting plans to, and gaining approval from, Welsh Ministers.

Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden MS, said local authorities and partners had already played an important role in shaping the proposals.

She said the government had worked closely with local government representatives, including the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru and heads of children’s services, and committed to continuing this collaborative approach as the regulations and guidance are developed.

The consultation is open to local authorities and other stakeholders involved in children’s social care and aims to ensure the new plans are practical, proportionate and focused on improving outcomes for children in care.

Responses to the consultation can be submitted until 7 April 2026.