Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1047694

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost has been of setting up the What Works Centre to date.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	212376
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>In October 2017, 2 contracts were awarded by Department for Education to establish the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care. A consortium led by NESTA was awarded the contract for an ‘incubator’ and Cardiff University was awarded the ‘research partner’ role. The contracts have a total value of £9.8 million and will run until March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2018 the research partner’s contract was extended by up to £2.4 million in order to support the implementation of a number of projects in 6 local authorities. This money is exclusively for those local authorities to implement and manage the projects with the management costs for Cardiff absorbed into their existing contract.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 29/01/2019 17:42:08 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1047695

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the money disbursed from the budget of her Department's Children's Social Care Innovation Programme has been allocated to organisations in the (a) public, (b) private and (c) voluntary sectors in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	212377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>Launched in 2013, the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme has invested in 98 projects across three funding rounds (2014-2020).</p><p>We have allocated £106.36 million to the public sector, £22.64 million to the private sector and £86.02 million to the voluntary sector.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 29/01/2019 17:38:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1047696

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Social Services: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on the (a) consultation on (b) preparation for and (c) introduction of the National Assessment and Accreditation Systems for social workers, social work supervisors and leaders.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	212378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>In total the government has spent £8.7 million on the consultation, preparation and the introduction of the National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS) for child and family social workers.</p><p> </p><p>These costs can be further broken down into £4.6 million in preparation costs, which includes money spent on the proof of concept phase, the preparation of assessment materials and standard setting.</p><p> </p><p>A further £4.1 million was spent up until June 2018 on the introduction of assessments. Of this, £3.5 million has been in spent in grants made to local authorities to support children’s services departments and individual social workers to prepare for the assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The department has spent no funds on consultation. The consultation and program development of the NAAS has been resourced directly by the civil service who have engaged widely with both local authorities and individual social workers.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 212380 question first answered 29/01/2019 17:34:08 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1047698

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Social Services: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the funding allocated to the consultation on the National Assessment and Accreditation System was spent on (a) private sector consultants and (b) local authorities.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	212380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>In total the government has spent £8.7 million on the consultation, preparation and the introduction of the National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS) for child and family social workers.</p><p> </p><p>These costs can be further broken down into £4.6 million in preparation costs, which includes money spent on the proof of concept phase, the preparation of assessment materials and standard setting.</p><p> </p><p>A further £4.1 million was spent up until June 2018 on the introduction of assessments. Of this, £3.5 million has been in spent in grants made to local authorities to support children’s services departments and individual social workers to prepare for the assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The department has spent no funds on consultation. The consultation and program development of the NAAS has been resourced directly by the civil service who have engaged widely with both local authorities and individual social workers.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 212378 question first answered 29/01/2019 17:34:08 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1047708

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to ensure that 16 and 17 year olds in the care system are placed in suitable accommodation.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	212412
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The majority of children in care aged 16 or 17 are either placed in foster care or live in a children’s home, both of which are regulated by Ofsted. However, the Children Act (1989) allows local authorities to use ‘other accommodation’ (such as supported lodgings; semi-independent accommodation; hostels; or foyers), if the local authority judges that the young person’s needs will best be met by this type of placement.</p><p> </p><p>In many cases, semi-independent accommodation provides an effective way for young people preparing to or leaving care to make a gradual transition to independence instead of placing them straight into an independent tenancy.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are responsible for commissioning a range of accommodation that meets the needs of young people in or leaving care and must ensure that accommodation used to house them is ‘suitable’. ‘Suitable accommodation’ is defined in Chapter 7 of the Children Act (1989) Volume 3 statutory guidance, which can be accessed at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>​The government ensures that local authorities are held to account for the quality of the accommodation they provide to care leavers through Ofsted inspections of children’s services and challenge poor practices when identified by Ofsted.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 212413 question first answered 29/01/2019 17:44:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1047709

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of the current regulation of independent living arrangements for young people in the care system.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	212413
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The majority of children in care aged 16 or 17 are either placed in foster care or live in a children’s home, both of which are regulated by Ofsted. However, the Children Act (1989) allows local authorities to use ‘other accommodation’ (such as supported lodgings; semi-independent accommodation; hostels; or foyers), if the local authority judges that the young person’s needs will best be met by this type of placement.</p><p> </p><p>In many cases, semi-independent accommodation provides an effective way for young people preparing to or leaving care to make a gradual transition to independence instead of placing them straight into an independent tenancy.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are responsible for commissioning a range of accommodation that meets the needs of young people in or leaving care and must ensure that accommodation used to house them is ‘suitable’. ‘Suitable accommodation’ is defined in Chapter 7 of the Children Act (1989) Volume 3 statutory guidance, which can be accessed at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>​The government ensures that local authorities are held to account for the quality of the accommodation they provide to care leavers through Ofsted inspections of children’s services and challenge poor practices when identified by Ofsted.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 212412 question first answered 29/01/2019 17:44:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1047710

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has made to support local authorities with the number of young people entering the care system.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	212414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>At Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on social care services, along with £84 million over five years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families.</p><p>This builds on the £200 billion government has already made available to councils up to 2020 to provide services in the best interests of local residents, including those for children and young people.</p><p>In residential care we are investing part of our £200 million children’s social care innovation programme to three projects to increase councils’ capacity and ensure more young people can be matched to the right care placement. We have also recently provided grant funding to three local authorities to conduct feasibility studies into opening new secure provision to increase available capacity and continue to invest in the secure estate through our £40 million capital programme.</p><p>We will shortly be providing seed funding to fostering partnerships to increase sufficiency of foster parents. As part of our digital discovery, we are exploring whether, and how, digital solutions could help give a more accurate picture of fostering capacity both locally and nationally, to drive targeted recruitment and improve streamline vacancy management.</p><p>We know that local authorities have experienced an increase in the numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who have particular care needs. That is why, in the 2017 UASC safeguarding strategy, we committed to providing 1,000 training places for foster carers and support workers who care for UASC. We commissioned the Refugee Council to deliver this training across England and training is now underway across the country.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 29/01/2019 17:40:37 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1047769

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	English Baccalaureate: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of disadvantaged students who leave secondary education having completed the English Baccalaureate.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	212315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The revised GCSE performance tables[1], published on 24 January 2019, show that in 2018 26.4% of disadvantaged pupils were entered for the EBacc, the highest this figure has been since the measure was introduced in 2010. In 2011, just 8.6% of disadvantaged pupils were entered for the EBacc subject combination. An increase has also been seen this year in EBacc attainment amongst disadvantaged pupils. The gap between EBacc entry for disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers has closed by 1.2 percentage points since 2017. Schools such as Dixons Trinity Academy (which is in an area of high disadvantage) lead the way. They entered 86% of their pupils for the EBacc in 2018.</p><p>Overall, however, disadvantaged pupils remain less likely to be entered for the EBacc subjects as their non-disadvantaged peers, and the gap in EBacc subject entry persists, even among the most academically able disadvantaged pupils. The Department has said that it would like to see 90% of year 10 pupils starting to study GCSEs in the EBacc combination of subjects by 2025.</p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/01/2019 16:35:51 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1046845

registered interest
date	23/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Home Education: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that children in home education placements have a high standard of education and care.
tabling member constituency	Burnley
tabling member printed	Julie Cooper
uin	211799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The government supports the right of parents to educate their children at home, and many families do this well, taking on a very significant responsibility in doing so. Local authorities are responsible for identifying any children who are not receiving a suitable education and taking steps to remedy that situation, if necessary, by enforcing school attendance.</p><p>We want to make sure that every child receives a good education. In some cases, the government is concerned about the quality of education which some children are receiving at home, especially in the context of the increasing numbers of children who are being removed from school to be educated at home.</p><p>As a result, the government consulted in 2018 on revised guidance for local authorities and parents on home education. The finalised versions of this guidance will be published shortly. At the same time, a call for evidence on the issues of registration and monitoring of children educated at home, and support for home educating families, was held, and a government response document setting out proposed next steps will also be published soon.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 29/01/2019 17:01:36 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton previous answer version 97796 answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	4405 label Biography information for Julie Cooper

1047034

registered interest
date	23/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	16-19 Bursary Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current funding for the 16 to 19 bursary.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	211663
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The department provides a number of financial support programmes for economically disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds to help with the education-related costs associated with staying in post-16 education. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is the principal scheme. Under the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, young people are eligible for awards of up to £1,200 per year (in particular, vulnerable groups that generally do not receive financial support from their families). Those not in these particular vulnerable groups, but who still need financial support, can apply to their education institution for discretionary bursary support. Each institution receives an allocation to make available these discretionary bursaries.</p><p>The department spoke with a sample of schools, colleges and other 16-19 education providers in 2018 to help us understand how the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund was being used and to assess the extent to which discretionary bursary allocations met the needs of students in the different institutions. Providers were using the available funds to support their most disadvantaged students, but there were different responses on the adequacy of funding. We are continuing to keep the use of the fund under review to inform our understanding of whether it is providing effective support to our most economically disadvantaged students.</p><p>With regard to its effectiveness in promoting social mobility, providers have the flexibility to target those young people in most need of financial support to stay on in further education and training. This flexibility helps to ensure that the poorest students get the same opportunities available to those with more financial support, for example, by purchasing equipment for technical courses, taking part in trips, purchasing books, participating in industry placements and getting support with UCAS fees. The majority of providers that the department spoke to in 2018 confirmed that this funding was making a significant impact on the ability of young people to access opportunities.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 29/01/2019 16:49:43 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton previous answer version 97554 answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden