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1382204

registered interest
date	25/11/2021
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Africa: LGBT+ People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support LGBTQ+ people in refugee camps in Africa.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	82038
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2021 answer text <p>The UK Government is fully committed to the promotion and protection of LGBTQ+ human rights globally and continues to urge countries that criminalise LGBTQ+ individuals, and same sex conduct to uphold the universality of human rights. We are very concerned about the criminalisation of homosexuality, and recognise that there is a long way to go before all LGBTQ+ people are able to live free and equal lives, including in some parts of Africa. The UK works closely with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, who remain deeply committed to the protection of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum-seekers across the world, including in refugee camps in Africa. The UK allocated £105 million to support the work of UNHCR in 2020. We also remain committed to funding £3 million of LGBTQ+ rights projects this year, including project work with a focus on tackling discriminatory legislation.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 30/11/2021 15:13:08 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1341713

registered interest
date	29/06/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Eating Disorders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mandatory education is provided to pupils and students at (a) schools and (b) universities on eating disorders.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	24295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2021 answer text <p>Through our new compulsory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, pupils can learn about how to stay safe and healthy, and how to positively manage their academic, personal and social lives.</p><p>Body image and mental wellbeing are explicitly covered in the RSHE curriculum and, at secondary level, teachers may choose to discuss eating disorders when teaching these topics. However, schools are not medical professionals. It is important that school staff understand eating disorders to inform the pastoral support that they offer to pupils and how to seek specialist support where it is needed, particularly as there has been an increase in referrals to eating disorder services during the COVID-19 outbreak. The government’s £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme funded advisers in every local authority in England, reaching up to 15,000 schools with free expert training, support and resources for education staff to help them understand and respond to the mental wellbeing issues faced by children and young people. The department is providing an additional £7 million in this financial year to extend that support with an additional focus on directing schools towards the right local support.</p><p>Higher education providers are autonomous bodies, independent from the government and have a responsibility to support students with mental health conditions. They are well placed to identify the needs of their particular student body, including those who may have eating disorders. It is for each provider to determine what welfare and counselling services are needed by its students.</p><p>The government has set up the first waiting time standard for children and young people eating disorder services so that 95% of children with an eating disorder will receive treatment within one week for urgent cases, and within four weeks for routine cases. In the 2021-22 financial year, NHS England will receive around an additional £500 million to support recovery, which includes £79 million to expand children’s mental health services significantly, including allowing 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 05/07/2021 16:49:30 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1276841

registered interest
date	14/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance his Department has published on the status of young carers during the covid-19 outbreak; what steps his Department is taking to help support the identification of pupils who are young carers; and what steps he is taking to ensure that support is accessible to young carers.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	137990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Education will do whatever it can to make sure no child – whatever their background or location – falls behind as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We know that young carers may be particularly vulnerable during this time, and ensuring that vulnerable children and young people remain protected is our top priority</p><p> </p><p>Educational settings remain open and safe for vulnerable children and young people. The definition of vulnerable children and young people includes those who have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued education provision – including young carers amongst others. Local authority duties to assess the needs of young carers, under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, remain unchanged.</p><p> </p><p>The government has provided over £11 million to the See, Hear, Respond programme, to support vulnerable children and young people whose usual support networks have been impacted by the outbreak, including young carers as a target group. The programme provides a range of support, including online counselling and helping children and young people stay connected with school.</p><p>The government announced £1 billion of catch-up funding to support children and young people. This includes a £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020/2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time and a £350 million National Tutoring Programme to support those children and young people who need it the most.</p><p>Additionally, the ongoing £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return training programme, offered to every school and college in England, is helping support pupil wellbeing, resilience and recovery in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The training supports staff working in schools and colleges to respond to the additional pressures some children and young people may be feeling as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is in addition to requirements set out in statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for school designated safeguarding leads to undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their role, including a good understanding and alertness to the needs of young carers. This guidance can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2</a>.</p><p>The government has continued to support unpaid carers by providing funding to Carers UK to: extend their support phoneline; provide funding to the Carers Trust to make onward grants to provide support to unpaid carers experiencing loneliness during the COVID-19 outbreak; work with the Social Care Institute for Excellence to publish guidance on reopening day services which we know provide important respite to carers; ensure unpaid carers can continue to claim Carer’s Allowance if they need to self-isolate and recognised time providing emotional support as part of the 35 hours a week Carer’s Allowance care threshold.</p><p>The government has published guidance for both schools and local authorities on how best to support families and protect vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak, alongside guidance for young people with caring responsibilities. The guidance includes information on how and where they can get help and support, including encouraging them to speak to someone they trust at their school or college, like a teacher or school nurse, about their caring responsibilities and how this might affect them.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 137991 137993 question first answered 19/01/2021 17:59:42 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1276842

registered interest
date	14/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training is provided to teachers and school staff to identify and support pupils who are young carers; and whether such training is mandatory.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	137991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Education will do whatever it can to make sure no child – whatever their background or location – falls behind as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We know that young carers may be particularly vulnerable during this time, and ensuring that vulnerable children and young people remain protected is our top priority</p><p> </p><p>Educational settings remain open and safe for vulnerable children and young people. The definition of vulnerable children and young people includes those who have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued education provision – including young carers amongst others. Local authority duties to assess the needs of young carers, under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, remain unchanged.</p><p> </p><p>The government has provided over £11 million to the See, Hear, Respond programme, to support vulnerable children and young people whose usual support networks have been impacted by the outbreak, including young carers as a target group. The programme provides a range of support, including online counselling and helping children and young people stay connected with school.</p><p>The government announced £1 billion of catch-up funding to support children and young people. This includes a £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020/2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time and a £350 million National Tutoring Programme to support those children and young people who need it the most.</p><p>Additionally, the ongoing £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return training programme, offered to every school and college in England, is helping support pupil wellbeing, resilience and recovery in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The training supports staff working in schools and colleges to respond to the additional pressures some children and young people may be feeling as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is in addition to requirements set out in statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for school designated safeguarding leads to undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their role, including a good understanding and alertness to the needs of young carers. This guidance can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2</a>.</p><p>The government has continued to support unpaid carers by providing funding to Carers UK to: extend their support phoneline; provide funding to the Carers Trust to make onward grants to provide support to unpaid carers experiencing loneliness during the COVID-19 outbreak; work with the Social Care Institute for Excellence to publish guidance on reopening day services which we know provide important respite to carers; ensure unpaid carers can continue to claim Carer’s Allowance if they need to self-isolate and recognised time providing emotional support as part of the 35 hours a week Carer’s Allowance care threshold.</p><p>The government has published guidance for both schools and local authorities on how best to support families and protect vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak, alongside guidance for young people with caring responsibilities. The guidance includes information on how and where they can get help and support, including encouraging them to speak to someone they trust at their school or college, like a teacher or school nurse, about their caring responsibilities and how this might affect them.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 137990 137993 question first answered 19/01/2021 17:59:42 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1276850

registered interest
date	14/01/2021
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, whether data is collected on local authority allocation of (a) training dedicated to safeguarding children with acute mental health conditions and (b) other training for foster parents.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	137992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Education does not collect data on local authority allocation of training.</p><p>The government provides a range of guidance on safeguarding children and for foster parents and agencies, including:</p><ul><li>‘Working together to safeguard children’, available here: <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>;</li><li>‘Keeping children safe in education’, available here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912592/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_Sep_2020.pdf#:~:text=Safeguarding%20and%20promoting%20the%20welfare%20of%20children%20is,enable%20all%20children%20to%20have%20the%20best%20outcomes" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912592/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_Sep_2020.pdf#:~:text=Safeguarding%20and%20promoting%20the%20welfare%20of%20children%20is,enable%20all%20children%20to%20have%20the%20best%20outcomes</a>;</li><li>‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, available here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf</a>;</li><li>and ‘Fostering’, available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/childcare-parenting/fostering" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/childcare-parenting/fostering</a>.</li></ul> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 22/01/2021 10:29:05 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1276895

registered interest
date	14/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to young carers while schools are closed during the covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	137993
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Education will do whatever it can to make sure no child – whatever their background or location – falls behind as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We know that young carers may be particularly vulnerable during this time, and ensuring that vulnerable children and young people remain protected is our top priority</p><p> </p><p>Educational settings remain open and safe for vulnerable children and young people. The definition of vulnerable children and young people includes those who have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued education provision – including young carers amongst others. Local authority duties to assess the needs of young carers, under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, remain unchanged.</p><p> </p><p>The government has provided over £11 million to the See, Hear, Respond programme, to support vulnerable children and young people whose usual support networks have been impacted by the outbreak, including young carers as a target group. The programme provides a range of support, including online counselling and helping children and young people stay connected with school.</p><p>The government announced £1 billion of catch-up funding to support children and young people. This includes a £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020/2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time and a £350 million National Tutoring Programme to support those children and young people who need it the most.</p><p>Additionally, the ongoing £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return training programme, offered to every school and college in England, is helping support pupil wellbeing, resilience and recovery in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The training supports staff working in schools and colleges to respond to the additional pressures some children and young people may be feeling as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is in addition to requirements set out in statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for school designated safeguarding leads to undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their role, including a good understanding and alertness to the needs of young carers. This guidance can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2</a>.</p><p>The government has continued to support unpaid carers by providing funding to Carers UK to: extend their support phoneline; provide funding to the Carers Trust to make onward grants to provide support to unpaid carers experiencing loneliness during the COVID-19 outbreak; work with the Social Care Institute for Excellence to publish guidance on reopening day services which we know provide important respite to carers; ensure unpaid carers can continue to claim Carer’s Allowance if they need to self-isolate and recognised time providing emotional support as part of the 35 hours a week Carer’s Allowance care threshold.</p><p>The government has published guidance for both schools and local authorities on how best to support families and protect vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak, alongside guidance for young people with caring responsibilities. The guidance includes information on how and where they can get help and support, including encouraging them to speak to someone they trust at their school or college, like a teacher or school nurse, about their caring responsibilities and how this might affect them.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 137990 137991 question first answered 19/01/2021 17:59:43 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1271448

registered interest
date	15/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Foster Care: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether national standards have been set for local authorities to ensure that foster parents receive comprehensive training in supporting children with complex mental health needs.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	130175
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>Fostering can be hugely rewarding, but also challenging, demanding skills and dedication. The statutory framework and National Minimum Standards (NMS) clearly set out that all foster carers must receive the training and development they need to carry out their role effectively. The NMS are available here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf</a>.</p><p>Under NMS 6, there is an expectation that fostering services will promote the physical, emotional, and psychological health of children in foster care and NMS 20 covers the requirements around training and development of foster carers. These are essential for placement stability, and foster carers should receive the right training to meet the needs of the children in their care. They should have access to different or new training to develop their skills as need arises before and during placement. The Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care (TSD) sets out the minimum expectations of training for foster carers, and is available here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287957/TSD_standards_guidance_for_supervisors.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287957/TSD_standards_guidance_for_supervisors.pdf</a>. It is up to local fostering services to determine what training they offer, to whom and when, but information about that offer should be available to all foster carers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 11/01/2021 10:49:54 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1219889

registered interest
date	01/07/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government has taken to identify and protect children who may be at increased risk from safeguarding issues as a result of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	67722
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>Ensuring that vulnerable children remain protected is a top priority for the government. From the outset, we asked schools to remain open for children who are vulnerable, as well as children of critical workers. This remains the case as some year groups return to school.</p><p>The government has provided an unprecedented package of support for vulnerable children, including:</p><ul><li>Over £3.2 billion so far, with a further £500 million announced on 2 July, bringing the total to £3.7 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including on children’s services.</li><li>£1.6 million of funding for the NSPCC to help promote and expand their national UK helpline which provides advice and guidance and support to adults reporting safeguarding concerns. Since the start of the campaign on 4 May, the NSPCC helpline has seen the number of calls and emails grow by 66% and has made over 9,000 referrals, with one out of every 9 referrals going to emergency services such as the police and children’s social care.</li><li>The Adoption Support Fund – £8 million to help families under pressure as a result of the outbreak.</li><li>The Innovation Programme – more than £12 million for 14 projects tackling increased risk, for example from domestic violence and supporting teenagers at risk of exploitation.</li><li>See, Hear, Respond – £7 million partnership of national children’s charities and local organisations to provide targeted support to vulnerable children, young people and their families who are affected by COVID-19.</li><li>Laptops and tablets for children with social workers and care leavers to help them keep in touch with the services they need, as well as 4G internet devices for connecting to the internet. As of 30 June, over 200,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers had been dispatched or delivered to local authorities and academy trusts.</li></ul><p>Our Regional Education and Care Teams are working with local authorities directly to ensure the systems and processes for maintaining contact with vulnerable children are robust in every local authority in England.</p><p>We have also made temporary legislative changes to help reduce pressure on the system and enable children's services to continue to support vulnerable children during these unprecedented times.</p><p>Our latest guidance on supporting vulnerable children and young people during the COVID-19 outbreak was updated on 1 July and is available here:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services</a>.</p><p>The department has issued a suite of guidance to help and support schools and colleges. This includes interim safeguarding guidance, which is clear that schools and colleges should revise their child protection policies to reflect new arrangements. The guidance sets out that it is important that all staff who interact with children, including online, continue to look out for signs a child may be at risk. The safeguarding guidance is available here:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-and-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-and-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19</a>.</p><p>Schools and colleges should continue to have regard to statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education, as per their legislative duty or funding agreement requirements, or both.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 13/07/2020 16:34:35 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1217967

registered interest
date	25/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children classified as vulnerable attended (a) primary (b) secondary school in (i) May and (ii) June 2020.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	64994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2020 answer text <p>The table below presents the latest weekly national figures for vulnerable children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan or social worker in attendance in England during May and June 2020.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Date</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Vulnerable children with an EHC plan or social work in attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion of vulnerable children with an EHC plan or social worker<strong>[1]</strong></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>7 May 2020</p></td><td><p>48,000</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>14 May 2020</p></td><td><p>51,000</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>21 May 2020</p></td><td><p>52,000</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>28 May 2020</p></td><td><p>23,000</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4 June 2020</p></td><td><p>78,000</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>11 June 2020</p></td><td><p>92,000</p></td><td><p>18%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>18 June 2020</p></td><td><p>112,000</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>25 June 2020</p></td><td><p>116,000</p></td><td><p>23%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The data is available at:<br> <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p>Please note that the department has not produced separate figures for the primary and secondary phases.</p><p>We have also been monitoring contact between social workers and children in need and can confirm that the vast majority of those vulnerable children on a child protection plan have been seen or contacted by a social worker in the past four weeks.</p><p>Full guidance on the definition of vulnerable children and options for continued attendance is available at:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people</a>.</p><p> </p><p>[1] We estimate that the total number of vulnerable children with an EHC plan or social worker in England is 508,255.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 02/07/2020 16:17:56 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1216056

registered interest
date	22/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes
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 potential merits of extending the free school meals voucher scheme to children aged between two and four during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	62545
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>Nurseries in maintained primary schools and maintained nursery schools are able to access the national voucher scheme where they have registered pupils who meet the benefits-related criteria, and who would usually receive education both before and after lunch. Private settings are not covered. Eligible children should receive vouchers at the same rate as school pupils. Newly eligible children will also be supported if they meet the above criteria and maintained nurseries and nursery schools should continue to accept free school meal applications.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 25/06/2020 12:41:22 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West