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1054723

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Mental Health: Children in Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the pilots of new mental health assessments for looked-after children, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that those new models will be able to assess the mental health needs of unaccompanied young people.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
	tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
	uin	216194
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>We have appointed a consortium of partners, led by the Anna Freud Centre, to support delivery of the pilots. The consortium brings together significant expertise on the mental health of looked-after children, including Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), and will work closely with selected sites to use their own learning and expertise to inform the project. The assessment framework will be tailored to the specific groups of looked-after children that each pilot site chooses to focus on which, for some sites, will be UASC.</p><p> </p><p>The pilots will also draw on the recommendations made by the Expert Working Group, which was commissioned by Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care. The Expert Working Group found that the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) should be supported by a broader set of measures. The pilots will therefore use the SDQ alongside other assessment tools.</p><p> </p><p>We will be conducting a full evaluation of the pilots. This will include evidence of effectiveness for specific groups of looked-after children as well as the cohort as a whole.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 216197 question first answered 07/02/2019 16:49:50 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1054611

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	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, with reference to the NAO report entitled Pressures on children’s social care, published on 23 January 2019, whether his Department has identified what level of local variation it regards as acceptable in the thresholds for action within children’s social care.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	216267
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The department publishes information on the average weekly spend per residential care place for a child, by local authority, in the local authority interactive tool (LAIT). This can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait</a>.</p><p> </p><p>This shows a number of unit cost calculations relating to the children in need population, including total outturn spend on residential care divided by total number of residential care days provided per week by local authority.</p><p> </p><p>There are a range of factors that will lead to variation in the amount of money spent per child, including the needs and circumstances of the children supported and accommodated. These factors will influence the services provided to children and the cost of their accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guidance (2018) can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2</a>.</p><p>This guidance is clear that local safeguarding partners should publish a threshold document, which sets out the local criteria for action in a way that is transparent, accessible and easily understood. This should include criteria, including the level of need, for statutory social care services. There are a range of factors that will lead to variation, including the needs and circumstances of children and families in a local authority area. Whether thresholds are set appropriately and well understood, is inspected by Ofsted and factored into their independent judgements on the quality of services locally.</p><p> </p><p>Demand for children’s services is associated with a number of factors including deprivation. The most deprived local authorities have more looked after children (per 10,000 0-17 year olds), and these rates have grown faster, than the least deprived local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &amp; Local Government as part of the government’s review of relative needs and resources, where new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome the contributions from the sector in this area including 'Newton Europe’s Making Sense' (2018) report and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services continuing research reports, 'Safeguarding Pressures' (2018).</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 216266 216268 question first answered 07/02/2019 17:38:58 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1054610

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	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, with reference to the NAO report entitled Pressures on children’s social care, published on 23 January 2019, what level of local variation his Department regards as acceptable in the amount of money spent per child in residential care.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	216266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The department publishes information on the average weekly spend per residential care place for a child, by local authority, in the local authority interactive tool (LAIT). This can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait</a>.</p><p> </p><p>This shows a number of unit cost calculations relating to the children in need population, including total outturn spend on residential care divided by total number of residential care days provided per week by local authority.</p><p> </p><p>There are a range of factors that will lead to variation in the amount of money spent per child, including the needs and circumstances of the children supported and accommodated. These factors will influence the services provided to children and the cost of their accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guidance (2018) can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2</a>.</p><p>This guidance is clear that local safeguarding partners should publish a threshold document, which sets out the local criteria for action in a way that is transparent, accessible and easily understood. This should include criteria, including the level of need, for statutory social care services. There are a range of factors that will lead to variation, including the needs and circumstances of children and families in a local authority area. Whether thresholds are set appropriately and well understood, is inspected by Ofsted and factored into their independent judgements on the quality of services locally.</p><p> </p><p>Demand for children’s services is associated with a number of factors including deprivation. The most deprived local authorities have more looked after children (per 10,000 0-17 year olds), and these rates have grown faster, than the least deprived local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &amp; Local Government as part of the government’s review of relative needs and resources, where new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome the contributions from the sector in this area including 'Newton Europe’s Making Sense' (2018) report and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services continuing research reports, 'Safeguarding Pressures' (2018).</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 216267 216268 question first answered 07/02/2019 17:38:58 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1054612

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	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, with reference page 36 of the NAO report entitled Pressures on children's social care, published on 23 January 2019, what progress his Department has made on the effect of deprivation on (a) demand for and (b) activity within children's social care.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	216268
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The department publishes information on the average weekly spend per residential care place for a child, by local authority, in the local authority interactive tool (LAIT). This can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait</a>.</p><p> </p><p>This shows a number of unit cost calculations relating to the children in need population, including total outturn spend on residential care divided by total number of residential care days provided per week by local authority.</p><p> </p><p>There are a range of factors that will lead to variation in the amount of money spent per child, including the needs and circumstances of the children supported and accommodated. These factors will influence the services provided to children and the cost of their accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guidance (2018) can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2</a>.</p><p>This guidance is clear that local safeguarding partners should publish a threshold document, which sets out the local criteria for action in a way that is transparent, accessible and easily understood. This should include criteria, including the level of need, for statutory social care services. There are a range of factors that will lead to variation, including the needs and circumstances of children and families in a local authority area. Whether thresholds are set appropriately and well understood, is inspected by Ofsted and factored into their independent judgements on the quality of services locally.</p><p> </p><p>Demand for children’s services is associated with a number of factors including deprivation. The most deprived local authorities have more looked after children (per 10,000 0-17 year olds), and these rates have grown faster, than the least deprived local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &amp; Local Government as part of the government’s review of relative needs and resources, where new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome the contributions from the sector in this area including 'Newton Europe’s Making Sense' (2018) report and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services continuing research reports, 'Safeguarding Pressures' (2018).</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 216266 216267 question first answered 07/02/2019 17:38:58 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1052424

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Protection
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department will take steps to support local leaders in identifying children in (a) unsafe households and (b) deprived households.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	215607
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>Statutory guidance in ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2018) is clear that anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care, and that they should do so immediately if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so.</p><p>Our communications campaign, ‘Together, we can tackle child abuse’, has helped raise the awareness of abuse among the public and professionals, and has provided local authorities with resources they can use to raise awareness locally.</p><p> </p><p>Disadvantaged children and young people who are in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the eligible benefits are entitled to free school meals and, to ensure that as many of these children as possible are able to claim this benefit, we provide an eligibility checking system that all local authorities can access; this makes the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 07/02/2019 16:56:30 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1054702

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Frontline
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the fine of up to £10,000 for students leaving the Frontline programme before the end of the 2 years was introduced; how much money has been recouped under that clause to date; and whether that money has been returned to his Department.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	216290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>Of those who started the Frontline programme, the following withdrew in their qualifying year:</p><p> </p><p>Cohort 2014 (104 started) 4 withdrew.</p><p>Cohort 2015 (124 started) 7 withdrew.</p><p>Cohort 2016 (155 started) 14 withdrew.</p><p>Cohort 2017 (283 started) 21 withdrew.</p><p>Cohort 2018 (336 started) 10 withdrew.</p><p> </p><p>The process to recoup costs was introduced for the 2017/18 academic year, as a means of clawing back public funding where a Frontline participant doesn’t meet their commitment to the programme. To date no money has been repaid by participants, however, if costs are recovered then future claims for funding from the Department for Education will be reduced by the corresponding amount.</p><p> </p><p>The department contracts Frontline to deliver fast track social work education, and monitors the delivery of this contract, including through oversight of key performance indicators and other information. The department does not monitor operational data such as Frontline staff numbers, their qualifications and turnover.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 216289 216291 216292 question first answered 07/02/2019 13:18:45 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1051397

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond with a date for the request from the hon. Member for Shipley for a meeting with Lord Agnew of Oulton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	214527
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System has offered a meeting with Vicky Beer CBE, the Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, in the first instance, which he will follow up with a phone call. Officials have contacted my hon. Friend, the Member for Shipley, to ensure this is acceptable before agreeing a convenient date and time for the meeting and are currently waiting for a response.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 07/02/2019 10:03:16 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1054565

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Expenditure
	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 support local authorities who have overspent on SEND budgets.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	216360
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>We recognise that the high needs budget faces significant pressures. As you will be aware, we have announced that we will provide £250 million additional funding for high needs over this financial year and the next. This brings the total allocated for high needs to £6.1 billion in 2018-19 and £6.3 billion in 2019-20. This additional investment will help local authorities manage those cost pressures.</p><p>Alongside the announcement of this additional funding, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State set out other ways in which we are helping local authorities, schools and colleges support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-secretary-of-state-to-local-authorities" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-secretary-of-state-to-local-authorities</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working alongside local authorities to help them plan how best to use their high needs funding. As part of this, we have introduced a high needs benchmarking tool, where local authorities can compare their high needs spending. This can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-strategic-planning-fund" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-strategic-planning-fund</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 07/02/2019 12:41:49 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1054763

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
	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 (a) ensure that social workers are adequately trained to respond to cases of trafficked children that subsequently go missing and (b) improve the recording and reporting practices by local authorities on trafficked children.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	216148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>On 1 November 2017, the government published revised and expanded statutory guidance for local authorities on the care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery, which sets out the training and awareness requirements for all those involved in the care of these vulnerable children. This guidance is available to social workers along with the statutory guidance on children who go missing from care, and practice guidance on children who may have been trafficked. Local authorities are best placed to then ensure that social workers receive the training they need to meet the needs of children locally.</p><p>The Modern Slavery Act 2015 introduced a duty to local authorities to refer all child victims of trafficking or modern slavery into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK’s system for identify and supporting victims. A referral into this system enables accurate recording and reporting by the Home Office on a quarterly basis. As part of NRM reform the government is conducting a review of how first responders should be trained. This will include understanding how to support all first responders in making these referrals which will support improved recording and reporting.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 07/02/2019 17:15:35 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1054720

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment
	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 every young person with vision impairment has access to the same learning materials as their sighted peers, adapted to their reading needs.
	tabling member constituency	Dudley North
	tabling member printed	Ian Austin
	uin	216192
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services for disabled children, to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. This would include ensuring that pupils with visual impairment have access to appropriate reading materials.</p><p> </p><p>Schools must publish accessibility plans and local authorities must publish accessibility strategies setting out how they plan to increase access for disabled pupils to the curriculum, the physical environment and to information. Schools also have wider duties to prevent discrimination, to promote equality of opportunity and to foster good relations.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education is providing £3.4 million funding over 2018-2020, for the Special Educational Needs and Disabilitiies (SEND) schools’ workforce contract, which will be delivered by the Whole School SEND consortium, led by nasen. The SEND schools’ workforce contract aim is to embed SEND into school led approaches to school improvement in order to equip the workforce to deliver high quality teaching across all types of SEND, including children and young people with vision impairment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 07/02/2019 16:44:36 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley