20th October 2026 • My Family Our Needs

Could changes to children’s social care help more children receive the right support closer to home? Lorna Kenyon-Pain and Precious Mealia, social care specialists at Anthony Collins, explain Regional Care Cooperatives and what they could mean for children with SEND and their families.

With the expansion of the Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) pilot into six new areas across England, children’s social care providers, children and families are likely to see significant changes in how care and support services are commissioned and delivered. Providers should begin preparing to engage with the new regional structures and consider what these changes could mean for the children and families they support.

RCCs form part of the government’s wider programme of children’s social care reform. Over the next three years, RCCs are expected to take on responsibility for regional commissioning and other related services on behalf of participating local authorities within the RCC, including children’s placements, fostering, and family and care leaver support.

The current commissioning landscape remains fragmented, making it difficult for local authorities to assess sufficiency and secure the right provision at the right time. For children, this can result in delays in finding suitable placements or accessing specialist support close to home. By bringing together agencies and making greater use of shared data and intelligence, RCCs aim to improve planning and commissioning decisions and ensure children can access the support they need closer to their families, schools and communities.

When making commissioning decisions, RCCs are expected to place significant weight on value for money, quality of care, workforce stability, and the outcomes achieved by children, including education, health, emotional wellbeing and placement stability. Existing providers should ensure they can clearly evidence the positive impact of their services. New providers may be able to demonstrate their capability through experienced leadership and successful service delivery in other areas. 

Providers in pilot areas should engage with their RCC at an early stage, particularly where they are seeking to develop innovative models of care, respond to gaps in local provision or establish services that may attract increased regulatory scrutiny, such as those requiring both CQC and Ofsted registration. 

RCCs could benefit children, families and providers alike. Greater visibility of future demand should help ensure services are developed where they are most needed, reducing the likelihood of children having to move far from their local communities and helping to avoid an overconcentration of homes in areas where property is more affordable. Better data may also help providers to identify emerging needs and adapt or expand services in response.

Opportunities are likely to be greatest in areas where demand continues to outstrip supply, including fostering, specialist disability services and high-quality supported accommodation for 16 and 17-year-olds. At the same time, declining numbers of foster carers have increased demand for residential care, particularly for older children or children with more complex needs. The government’s reform agenda is intended to encourage greater investment in these areas, creating opportunities for both existing providers and new market entrants.

Greater collaboration between commissioners, providers and other agencies is also expected to strengthen the sector’s collective voice and improve representation of key issues at a national level.

Wider reform on the horizon                      

The rollout of RCCs is just one part of a much broader programme of reforms, the majority of which will be introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Alongside changes to commissioning, providers should prepare for increased oversight.

From early 2027, Ofsted is expected to introduce a provider oversight scheme. Where serious or widespread concerns arise, providers may be required to implement improvement plans, with financial penalties available where sufficient improvements are not made.

The Department for Education (DfE) also intends to introduce a financial oversight scheme for large and difficult-to-replace care providers. Similar to the CQC’s adult social care market oversight regime, the aim is to improve financial transparency and give local authorities earlier warning of provider failure. Further regulations are expected to clarify how these oversight regimes will interact with the registration and involvement of key individuals, including registered managers and directors.

Despite the changing regulatory landscape, the DfE remains keen to attract new providers to the sector. Organisations considering entering the market should, however, be aware of ongoing delays in the Ofsted registration process. While priority applications, such as specialist services for disabled children or children deprived of their liberty, are generally processed more quickly, other applications may take considerably longer. Common barriers include concerns about the suitability of registered managers or responsible individuals, planning issues and location assessments. Early engagement with Ofsted and careful preparation can help providers navigate the process more effectively.

The outlook for children’s social care continues to evolve, bringing both challenges and opportunities. With the right preparation, providers can position themselves to succeed within the new commissioning landscape. Ultimately, however, the success of RCCs will be judged not by new structures or processes, but by whether more children can access safe, stable and high-quality care that helps them to achieve the best possible outcomes throughout childhood and into adulthood.

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