In December last year six pilot areas were chosen to test the controversial idea of social work practices.
The GP-style practices will each be responsible for around 100 to 200 looked-after children and will be run by voluntary or private sector providers or a group of social work practitioners. Independent teams of social workers will oversee services for children transferred to the practice instead of the local authority.
Blackburn with Darwen, Hillingdon, Kent, Liverpool, Sandwell and Staffordshire are expected to have providers in place by the end of May and practices running by September.
The pilots aim to find new ways of supporting children in care to help them achieve better outcomes and to offer more child-centred services. They are backed by £6m in funding and will run until 2013, when the government will decide if the scheme should be rolled out across England.
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