In-person Roundtable | Acuity Law

Children’s Social Care reform in Wales: navigating the move to not for profit provision.

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Wales is undergoing a significant change in how children’s social care services are provided, with reforms set to reshape the structure of the sector and the way local authorities, providers and other organisations work together to meet the needs of children and young people.

Under the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025, new providers of children’s homes, fostering services and secure accommodation must operate on a not for profit basis. Since April 2026, profit making organisations have no longer been able to register to provide these services, with placements in existing for profit services due to be restricted, other than in exceptional circumstances, by 2030.

The reforms represent a significant shift for Welsh children’s social care. With the private sector currently providing 87% of children’s home placements and 35% of fostering placements in Wales, the transition will have implications across the sector – from existing providers considering their future operating models, to local authorities reviewing commissioning arrangements and the availability of placements.

There are also wider questions around how the reforms will work in practice.

Providers and commissioners will need to consider issues including capacity, sustainability, workforce, funding, commissioning and the transition from existing arrangements. The impact is likely to be felt differently across different parts of the sector, making opportunities for open discussion and the sharing of practical experience particularly valuable.

Event details

Date: Tuesday 3rd November 2026

Hosted by: Acuity Law Health and Social Care Team (Jenny Wilde and Beverley Jones)
Format: Roundtable discussion
Location: 3 Callaghan Square, Cardiff, CF10 5BT
Time: 9:00 – 10:00am

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We’re bringing together professionals from across the children’s social care sector for an informal roundtable discussion on how the reforms are translating into practice.

Rather than a traditional seminar, the session will be a facilitated, peer led discussion, providing an opportunity to share experiences, explore emerging challenges and discuss practical approaches. Our Health and Social Care team will begin with a brief legal overview to set the scene before opening up the discussion to attendees.

Together, we’ll explore what the reforms mean in practice, where key challenges are emerging, and how organisations are navigating the transition.

Discussion will include:

How organisations are navigating the 2026, 2027 and 2030 milestones
Structuring commercial arrangements within the new regulatory framework
Planning for the future restrictions on placements and registration
The challenges and uncertainties providers and commissioners are currently facing
What the reforms could mean for children’s social care in Wales.

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