Across children's services, we are all experiencing the same significant pressures. Growing demand, constrained resources, rising placement costs and wider financial challenges are testing our systems and creating difficult choices. Yet despite these pressures, our collective ambition remains unchanged: to provide the best possible support, care and protection for children and young people.

In this context, collaboration is no longer simply desirable - it is essential.

That is why colleagues across the North East are excited to be part of the next wave of Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs), helping to shape a new approach to care and protection for children and young people. RCCs provide an opportunity to strengthen how we plan, commission and deliver services, recognising that the challenges we face are too complex for any one local authority to solve alone.

The region is well positioned to take this next step, building on a strong history of regional collaboration through joint commissioning, provider engagement and fostering initiatives. The North East Fostering Hub, delivered on behalf of all 12 local authorities, demonstrates the potential of a collective approach to recruitment, retention and support while maintaining strong local relationships.

As the North East RCC develops, it will work alongside an expanded regional fostering hub to explore new opportunities for collaboration across sufficiency, commissioning and permanence planning, while also strengthening links with SEND sufficiency planning. Together, these developments provide an opportunity to create a more joined-up and sustainable approach to meeting the needs of children and young people across the region.

As directors of children's services, we are united in our belief that fostering remains the best outcome for many children who cannot live with their birth families. Regional collaboration will help us attract and support more foster carers, enabling children to remain connected to their communities, relationships and identities wherever possible. At the same time, we recognise the vital role of high-quality residential care within a continuum of support, providing stability and specialist care for children whose needs cannot be met in a family setting. Together, we can strengthen both fostering and residential provision, ensuring children receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

As Vice Chair of the North East Association of Directors of Children's Services, I see first-hand the strength of our regional relationships. While we serve different communities, we share a common purpose and a commitment to keeping children and young people at the centre of every decision. That trust, built over many years, will be one of our greatest assets as we develop the RCC.

The task ahead is significant. Establishing new governance, commissioning arrangements and ways of working must be balanced with continuing to deliver for children and families every day. However, what has been most encouraging is the openness, generosity and shared commitment across the North East and nationally. Regions are learning from one another, testing new approaches and solving problems together in real time.

The best solutions rarely come from organisations working in isolation. They come from partners united by a shared purpose and a determination to improve outcomes. RCCs are not a silver bullet, but they offer a real opportunity to tackle some of the most significant challenges facing our sector through collective leadership and shared responsibility.

This is a moment that calls for innovation, curiosity and courage. By working together locally, regionally and nationally, we have a genuine opportunity to create a more sustainable care system and improve the lives of children and young people across our communities.

The journey ahead will require commitment and perseverance, but I am confident that the strength of our relationships, our shared values and our unwavering focus on children and families will enable us to make a lasting difference. Together, we can build a stronger, more sustainable future for the children and young people we serve.