In 2024, the Welsh Government introduced the Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill to address the impacts of for-profit children’s residential and foster care provision. This came as a result of the (then) cooperation agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, which included a commitment to eliminate profit from the care of looked-after children due to concerns about the impact of profit-driven motives on service provision and outcomes.

Our team was commissioned by the Welsh Government to explore the potential benefits and adverse consequences associated with eliminating private profit from the care of looked-after children in Wales. We designed and carried out a Delphi study to gather expert views and assess the extent to which eliminating private profit from the care of looked-after children would impact the care these children receive and their subsequent outcomes.

We used a structured process of two questionnaires and focus group discussions with experts. The first questionnaire gathered diverse opinions on each area of enquiry. These included the potential impacts of the commitment and how wellbeing outcomes for children and young people may be affected as part of the wider transformation of children’s social care. In the second questionnaire, experts were invited to review and rate their agreement with a series of statements that outlined the most significant impacts and strategies identified from the first questionnaire.

Focus group discussions were then held to rank areas of consensus and explore areas where consensus was not achieved. This process enabled the identification of the most crucial impacts and suggestions, forming the foundation for an evidence-based and consensus-derived set of best practices. This will help inform decision-making on eliminating profit from the care of looked-after children.

➥ Our report is available here.