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1226319

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Adoption Support Fund, how many claims have been received on behalf of previously looked after children on special guardianship orders (a) in financial year 2019-20 and (b) since 1 April 2020; how many of those claims have been successful (i) in total and (ii) by local authority area; and what the average amount awarded for those claims was (A) in total and (B) by local authority area.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
	tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
	uin	76700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is set out in the attached table.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 01/09/2020 16:51:34 question first ministerially corrected 08/09/2020 15:51:04 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford attachment 1 file name 76700_SGO_table.pdf title 76700_PDF previous answer version 43279 answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford attachment 1 file name 76700_76701_adoption_application_table.pdf title 76701_76701_PDF
	tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

1226321

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Adoption Support Fund, how many claims have been received on behalf of adopted children (a) in financial year 2019-20 and (b) since 1 April 2020; how many of those claims have been successful (i) in total and (ii) by local authority area; and what the average amount awarded for those claims was (A) in total and (B) by local authority area.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
	tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
	uin	76701
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is set out in the attached table.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 01/09/2020 16:51:34 question first ministerially corrected 08/09/2020 15:50:55 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford attachment 1 file name 76701_adoption_table.pdf title 76701_PDF previous answer version 43810 answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford attachment 1 file name 76700_76701_adoption_application_table.pdf title 76701_76701_PDF
	tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

1144063

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that employers use at least half of their apprenticeship levy spend on new starters.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL17551
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The apprenticeship programme is employer-led. The department’s reforms have put employers in the driving seat, supporting them to design the high-quality apprenticeship standards that meet their skills needs. It is also for employers to decide which apprenticeships they offer, when, and to whom.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Apprenticeships provide valuable opportunities for people of all ages. While the department has no current plans to restrict the use of employer’s levy funds, all aspects of the programme will be kept under review in response to employer feedback and as preparations for a comprehensive Spending Review next year continue.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:52:41 question first ministerially corrected 04/10/2019 11:10:59 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135182 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144064

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that employers use at least half of their apprenticeship levy spend on apprentices who are under 30 years of age.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL17552
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The apprenticeship programme is employer-led. The department’s reforms have put employers in the driving seat, supporting them to design the high-quality apprenticeship standards that meet their skills needs. It is also for employers to decide which apprenticeships they offer, when, and to whom.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Apprenticeships provide valuable opportunities for people of all ages. While the department has no current plans to restrict the use of employer’s levy funds, all aspects of the programme will be kept under review in response to employer feedback and as preparations for a comprehensive Spending Review next year continue.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:52:41 question first ministerially corrected 04/10/2019 11:10:45 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135660 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144167

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children Act 1989
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local authorities carry out their duties as set out in the Children Act 1989.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laming
	uin	HL17655
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where a child cannot live at home, it is one of the state’s most important responsibilities to ensure that the child is kept safe and able to flourish. All looked-after children should have a secure, stable and loving family environment to support them through childhood and beyond and to give them a sense of security, continuity, identity and belonging. The Children and Social Work Act (2017) sets out ‘corporate parenting principles’ to which local authorities should have regard as they take on the role of parent to looked-after children and care leavers.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The assumption that children in public care should ever be treated as a financial asset is a false premise. Local authorities have a legal duty to make decisions on care placements based on where their individual needs can be met. While children should be placed close to home where this is possible and appropriate, it can often be the right option for a placement further away from home. This might be, for example, when a child requires specialist care that is not always available locally or is at risk of exploitation.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where children are placed out of area, this must be agreed to by the local authority’s Director of Children’s Services, and the placing authority must inform the host local authority. We are providing funding through our £200 million Innovation Programme to increase local authorities’ capacity so fewer children are placed far away from home.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and statutory guidance is clear in recognising the importance of stability in education. When arranging a suitable care placement, a child’s social worker, supported by local authority management and resources, should do everything possible to minimise disruption to the child’s education. Where a child is in key stage 4, children should only be moved in exceptional circumstances.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Ofsted inspect how well local authorities are meeting their duties for looked-after children under the Children Act (1989). Under their current inspection framework, they focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements in order to help and protect children.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The inspection framework also addresses the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home, as well as arrangements for permanence for looked-after children and the experiences and progress of care leavers. In addition, they evaluate the effectiveness of leaders and managers and the impact they have on the lives of children and young people, and the quality of professional practice.</ins></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:38:47 question first ministerially corrected 07/10/2019 16:43:55 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135473 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming

1144163

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they continue to use their "good parent" policy in relation to children in state care.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laming
	uin	HL17651
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where a child cannot live at home, it is one of the state’s most important responsibilities to ensure that the child is kept safe and able to flourish. All looked-after children should have a secure, stable and loving family environment to support them through childhood and beyond and to give them a sense of security, continuity, identity and belonging. The Children and Social Work Act (2017) sets out ‘corporate parenting principles’ to which local authorities should have regard as they take on the role of parent to looked-after children and care leavers.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The assumption that children in public care should ever be treated as a financial asset is a false premise. Local authorities have a legal duty to make decisions on care placements based on where their individual needs can be met. While children should be placed close to home where this is possible and appropriate, it can often be the right option for a placement further away from home. This might be, for example, when a child requires specialist care that is not always available locally or is at risk of exploitation.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where children are placed out of area, this must be agreed to by the local authority’s Director of Children’s Services, and the placing authority must inform the host local authority. We are providing funding through our £200 million Innovation Programme to increase local authorities’ capacity so fewer children are placed far away from home.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and statutory guidance is clear in recognising the importance of stability in education. When arranging a suitable care placement, a child’s social worker, supported by local authority management and resources, should do everything possible to minimise disruption to the child’s education. Where a child is in key stage 4, children should only be moved in exceptional circumstances.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Ofsted inspect how well local authorities are meeting their duties for looked-after children under the Children Act (1989). Under their current inspection framework, they focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements in order to help and protect children.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The inspection framework also addresses the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home, as well as arrangements for permanence for looked-after children and the experiences and progress of care leavers. In addition, they evaluate the effectiveness of leaders and managers and the impact they have on the lives of children and young people, and the quality of professional practice.</ins></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:38:47 question first ministerially corrected 07/10/2019 16:43:14 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135470 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming

1144164

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether any children in public care are being treated as a financial asset.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laming
	uin	HL17652
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where a child cannot live at home, it is one of the state’s most important responsibilities to ensure that the child is kept safe and able to flourish. All looked-after children should have a secure, stable and loving family environment to support them through childhood and beyond and to give them a sense of security, continuity, identity and belonging. The Children and Social Work Act (2017) sets out ‘corporate parenting principles’ to which local authorities should have regard as they take on the role of parent to looked-after children and care leavers.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The assumption that children in public care should ever be treated as a financial asset is a false premise. Local authorities have a legal duty to make decisions on care placements based on where their individual needs can be met. While children should be placed close to home where this is possible and appropriate, it can often be the right option for a placement further away from home. This might be, for example, when a child requires specialist care that is not always available locally or is at risk of exploitation.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where children are placed out of area, this must be agreed to by the local authority’s Director of Children’s Services, and the placing authority must inform the host local authority. We are providing funding through our £200 million Innovation Programme to increase local authorities’ capacity so fewer children are placed far away from home.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and statutory guidance is clear in recognising the importance of stability in education. When arranging a suitable care placement, a child’s social worker, supported by local authority management and resources, should do everything possible to minimise disruption to the child’s education. Where a child is in key stage 4, children should only be moved in exceptional circumstances.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Ofsted inspect how well local authorities are meeting their duties for looked-after children under the Children Act (1989). Under their current inspection framework, they focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements in order to help and protect children.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The inspection framework also addresses the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home, as well as arrangements for permanence for looked-after children and the experiences and progress of care leavers. In addition, they evaluate the effectiveness of leaders and managers and the impact they have on the lives of children and young people, and the quality of professional practice.</ins></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:38:47 question first ministerially corrected 07/10/2019 16:43:29 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 134990 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming

1144165

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children in care being placed outside their local authority area.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laming
	uin	HL17653
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where a child cannot live at home, it is one of the state’s most important responsibilities to ensure that the child is kept safe and able to flourish. All looked-after children should have a secure, stable and loving family environment to support them through childhood and beyond and to give them a sense of security, continuity, identity and belonging. The Children and Social Work Act (2017) sets out ‘corporate parenting principles’ to which local authorities should have regard as they take on the role of parent to looked-after children and care leavers.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The assumption that children in public care should ever be treated as a financial asset is a false premise. Local authorities have a legal duty to make decisions on care placements based on where their individual needs can be met. While children should be placed close to home where this is possible and appropriate, it can often be the right option for a placement further away from home. This might be, for example, when a child requires specialist care that is not always available locally or is at risk of exploitation.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Where children are placed out of area, this must be agreed to by the local authority’s Director of Children’s Services, and the placing authority must inform the host local authority. We are providing funding through our £200 million Innovation Programme to increase local authorities’ capacity so fewer children are placed far away from home.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and statutory guidance is clear in recognising the importance of stability in education. When arranging a suitable care placement, a child’s social worker, supported by local authority management and resources, should do everything possible to minimise disruption to the child’s education. Where a child is in key stage 4, children should only be moved in exceptional circumstances.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Ofsted inspect how well local authorities are meeting their duties for looked-after children under the Children Act (1989). Under their current inspection framework, they focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements in order to help and protect children.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The inspection framework also addresses the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home, as well as arrangements for permanence for looked-after children and the experiences and progress of care leavers. In addition, they evaluate the effectiveness of leaders and managers and the impact they have on the lives of children and young people, and the quality of professional practice.</ins></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:38:47 question first ministerially corrected 07/10/2019 16:43:41 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135471 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming

1144079

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: EU Nationals
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many looked-after children are non-UK EU nationals.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top
	uin	HL17567
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The department does not hold information on the nationality of looked-after children in England. However, estimates suggest that there may be around 5,000 children in care who are non-UK EU nationals.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">We recognise that looked-after children who are non-UK EU nationals will require support with immigration issues. It is important that local authorities offer the necessary support by addressing these issues early as part of any assessment and care plan. In doing so, local authorities can seek legal advice about the appropriate action based on the circumstances of the individual looked-after child.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Legislation will also be introduced to bring immigration matters for separated migrant children into the scope of legal aid, meaning that this group will get support in securing their immigration rights. Legal aid may also be available through the Exceptional Case Funding scheme where a failure to provide legal aid would breach, or risk breaching, European Court of Human Rights law rights or enforceable EU law rights.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Ensuring that looked-after children are supported to obtain a status under the European Union Settlement Scheme is a core element in the delivery of the scheme.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Local authorities are expected to make applications on behalf of all eligible looked-after children for whom they have parental responsibility and to raise awareness of the scheme and offer support as required for looked-after children for whom they do not hold parental responsibility.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Guidance has been issued to local authorities to help them with these responsibilities.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:36:15 question first ministerially corrected 07/10/2019 15:46:41 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 134784 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4150 label Biography information for Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top

1144080

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: EU Nationals
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what support local authorities give to looked-after children who are non-UK EU nationals to apply for (1) residency, (2) citizenship, and (3) settled status.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top
	uin	HL17568
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The department does not hold information on the nationality of looked-after children in England. However, estimates suggest that there may be around 5,000 children in care who are non-UK EU nationals.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">We recognise that looked-after children who are non-UK EU nationals will require support with immigration issues. It is important that local authorities offer the necessary support by addressing these issues early as part of any assessment and care plan. In doing so, local authorities can seek legal advice about the appropriate action based on the circumstances of the individual looked-after child.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Legislation will also be introduced to bring immigration matters for separated migrant children into the scope of legal aid, meaning that this group will get support in securing their immigration rights. Legal aid may also be available through the Exceptional Case Funding scheme where a failure to provide legal aid would breach, or risk breaching, European Court of Human Rights law rights or enforceable EU law rights.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Ensuring that looked-after children are supported to obtain a status under the European Union Settlement Scheme is a core element in the delivery of the scheme.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Local authorities are expected to make applications on behalf of all eligible looked-after children for whom they have parental responsibility and to raise awareness of the scheme and offer support as required for looked-after children for whom they do not hold parental responsibility.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Guidance has been issued to local authorities to help them with these responsibilities.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:36:15 question first ministerially corrected 07/10/2019 15:46:59 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135439 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4150 label Biography information for Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top