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391401

registered interest
date	20/07/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Foster Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to review (a) standards of foster care and (b) criteria for becoming a foster carer.
tabling member constituency	Clacton
tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Carswell
uin	7903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2015 answer text <p>Ofsted is responsible for the regulation and inspection of all independent fostering services and includes local authority fostering services within their wider inspection protocol.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2013, the government streamlined and strengthened the assessment and approval process for foster carers. All foster carers continue to undergo a full and comprehensive assessment before they are approved by a fostering service. Supporting the recruitment and retention of foster carers is a priority - it is through the skills and dedication of these foster carers and those who work with them that we will improve outcomes for looked-after children. From 2013 to 2015, the government also invested £750,000 to support four local authority regional consortia to develop innovative strategies to help them recruit and retain the foster carers they need in their local area. In April 2015, the government also amended regulations to introduce ‘long term foster care’ as a distinct placement type. In cases such as these, statutory guidance is clear that the local authority should assess the ability of the identified foster carer to care for the child (this may be the foster carers currently looking after the child, or new carers who are best able to meet the child’s needs).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Edward Timpson grouped question UIN 7904 question first answered 07/09/2015 15:38:23 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
tabling member	1527 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Carswell

166995

registered interest
date	01/12/2014
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Secondary Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has made to increase the number of high-quality secondary school teachers, other than the role of financial incentives.
tabling member constituency	Clacton
tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Carswell
uin	216487
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Education is committed to recruiting high-quality graduates into the teaching profession, and we have a range of initiatives designed to attract the best potential teachers.</p><p>In September 2014 we launched a new marketing campaign called ‘Your Future | Their Future’. We use a range of activities including national newspaper advertising, targeted digital communications and face-to-face events to reach excellent potential teachers, including career changers, and to persuade them to pursue a career in teaching.</p><p>Additional funding has been made available to schools offering School Direct (salaried) places to boost starting salaries and encourage more experienced graduates to enter teacher training across a range of subjects. School Direct (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality, experienced graduates who earn a salary whilst training.</p><p>We provide an information service for anyone looking to enter teaching through the Teaching Line. Those interested in teaching a priority subject are given access to the Premier Plus programme. This includes support from a dedicated recruitment advisor, access to exclusive events and regular communications with important news and application hints and tips.</p><p>We have extended the School Experience Programme (SEP) this year to include non-funded subjects as well as funded priority subjects. SEP gives prospective teachers the chance to gain school experience, helping them to choose teaching as a career.</p><p>Prestigious scholarship awards are available to outstanding graduates with a 2:1 or first-class degree in maths, physics, chemistry, and computing. Scholarships come with a package of non-financial benefits, such as membership of the appropriate professional body, mentoring, and continuous professional development.</p><p>New entrants to initial teacher training are becoming better qualified. Overall, we have seen an increase each year in the percentage of new entrants who hold a first class or 2:1 degree; rising from 61% in 2009/10 to 73% in 2014/15.</p><p>In addition, we have supported the expansion of Teach First , which focuses on getting the highest quality teachers into our most challenging schools, by more than doubling the number of programme participants since 2010, and ensuring the programme covers all English government regions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 05/12/2014 14:52:55 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
tabling member	1527 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Carswell