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<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>
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