London’s bid to establish a pan-London Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) has been successful, securing £1.7 million of Department for Education funding to support the next phase of development and implementation. The programme will bring together all 32 London boroughs and the City of London to strengthen how care is planned, commissioned and delivered across the capital.
Led by the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA) on behalf of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS), with Camden Council acting as the lead authority, the successful bid represents a significant milestone for London.
Why Regional Care Cooperatives Matter
Regional Care Cooperatives are a key component of the Government’s plans to reform children’s social care. Their purpose is to improve outcomes for children and young people by addressing longstanding challenges within the sector, including rising costs, sufficiency challenges, market instability and workforce pressures.
By working collectively, local authorities can strengthen their influence over commissioning and market development, helping to improve the availability, quality and sustainability of care for children and young people.
A Collective London Response
London submitted its Expression of Interest in May 2026, with all London local authorities supporting the proposal. The bid also secured support from a broad range of strategic partners, including:
- All London Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
- NHS England
- The Metropolitan Police
- Ministry of Justice
This collective commitment reflects a shared ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people through stronger collaboration across the wider public service system.
Building on Strong Foundations
The London RCC has been designed to build on the capital’s existing track record of partnership working and innovation.
Key features of the proposed model include:
- A hub-and-spoke delivery model, combining local and sub-regional commissioning arrangements with support from a central regional team
- A strong focus on increasing the number of children living in family-based care, including foster care and kinship care
- Expanded provision delivered by local authorities and the not-for-profit sector
- Enhanced regional market management and collaborative commissioning
- A “One Customer” approach that aligns commissioning activity across local authorities and partner agencies
- A commitment to innovation, testing new approaches locally and scaling successful models across London
Moving into Mobilisation
Following the successful award, the programme is now entering its mobilisation phase. A dedicated programme team will be established within LIIA to support implementation and work with boroughs and partners to develop the RCC’s governance, commissioning and operating arrangements.
Over the coming months, London boroughs and partner organisations will be involved in shaping the detailed design of the cooperative, ensuring the model is both ambitious and deliverable while remaining focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.
Looking Ahead
The award marks the beginning of an important new chapter for pan-London collaboration in children’s social care. By working together at scale, London has an opportunity to strengthen sufficiency, improve value for money, increase family-based care options and create a more sustainable system for the future.
Further updates will be shared as the programme progresses.