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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

1052177

registered interest
date	31/01/2019
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	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 reasons why the number of looked after children aged over 16 has increased; and what plans he has to manage that increase.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	215197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>Factors leading to there being more older than younger looked-after children include an increase in the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (who are mainly 15 to 17 year olds); increasing efforts to protect children from criminal activity such as child sexual exploitation and gang and drug culture; and a recent court judgement which means 16 to 17 year olds are taken into care when they present as homeless.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education is launching a new national Tackling Child Exploitation support service, backed by up to £2 million, which will operate up until 2022, to address child sexual exploitation together with other forms of child criminal exploitation. The department has also made a £1.3 million contribution to the controlling migration fund over two years to fund 8 local authorities to provide better access to initial assessment and education for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.</p><p> </p><p>The department remains committed to ensuring that local authorities only seek to take children into care where they must do so, including through the reform programme outlined in ‘Putting children first’. We are working across government and with local family justice boards to better understand the challenges in the family justice system and to consider what else can be done to address these. In addition at Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £84 million for ‘Strengthening families, protecting children’<em>,</em> a programme which will support a number of local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, to support their most vulnerable children to stay safely at home, thriving in stable family circumstances - where that is in their best interests.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 05/02/2019 16:37:55 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1052322

registered interest
date	31/01/2019
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, when the external research commissioned together with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury into the relative drivers of need in children’s social care will be published; and what the purpose is of that research.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	215198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>As part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) led review of councils’ relative needs and resources, the Department for Education and MHCLG have jointly commissioned external research into the relative drivers of ‘need to spend’ on children’s services.</p><p>The aim of this work is twofold: to develop a statistically robust, up-to-date approach to funding distribution for children’s services at local government finance settlements; and to gather useful data to better understand demand pressures.</p><p> </p><p>The current timescale is for a model ready to consult on later this year for use in the 2020-21 local government finance settlement.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 05/02/2019 16:43:41 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1051373

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	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2019 to Question 211786 on Children: Social Services, which local authority requested exemption from statutory guidance; from what statutory guidance that local authority requested exemption; and for what reason that request was refused.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	214564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>In June 2018, Hackney wrote to the department asking for dispensation from ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015’ in relation to child protection conferences. They wanted to explore establishing an alternative process with a specific cohort of young people where the risk of harm was derived from outside of their family, but their parents were engaged with services. The department wrote back to say, as set out in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’, that the statutory guidance should be compiled with unless exceptional circumstances arise.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 04/02/2019 17:29:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1051433

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	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 January 2019 NAO report Pressures on children's social care, whether his Department plans to commission research using the individual child-level data that it holds into the factors that drive demand for children’s social care.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	214565
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>Since 2011, we have been improving and expanding our data collections. We are carrying out further research on the drivers of demand and variation within and between local authorities, using individual child-level data.</p><p>The department is also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the sector as part of the review of relative needs and resources, to develop a robust, up-to-date approach to funding distribution for children's services to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome research approaches, such as the work National Audit Office has undertaken, that enhance our data.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 04/02/2019 14:36:57 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1051434

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	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has identified a level of local variation which is acceptable in the amount of money spent per child in need; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	214566
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>We publish information on the average spend per child in need, by local authority, in the local authority interactive tool. This can be found here: <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 annual local authority expenditure on looked after children divided by the number of looked after children and total annual local authority expenditure on social work and commissioning divided by the total number of children in need.</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> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 04/02/2019 14:30:56 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1051486

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	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2018 to Question 122517 on children: social services, whether the six local authorities named in that answer are still exempt from statutory guidance.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	214567
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member for South Shields to the answer I gave on 18 January 2018 to Question <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=122517" target="_blank">122517</a> where six local authorities named in were issued non-time-limited directions in January 2015.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 04/02/2019 16:32:46 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1049985

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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, what assessment he has made of the long-term effect of Frontline on the number of people engaging in social work research.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	213377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2019 answer text <p>Frontline participants completing the master’s degree programme are required to undertake social work research. We are not aware of any long-term impact of Frontline on the wider social work sector’s engagement with research. Government is establishing a What Works Centre for children’s social care, which will address the gap that often exists between research and practice. It aims to translate research findings into practical support for social workers, practice leaders and commissioners to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. Additionally, our teaching partnership programme has supported the development of research links between universities and social work practitioners.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 31/01/2019 17:26:20 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1050078

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Social Workers: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2019 to Question 210039 on Social Workers: Training, how many bidders submitted a tender application.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	213378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2019 answer text <p>As set out in my response to question 210039, three bidders expressed an interest in submitting a tender; however, one bidder withdrew their interest prior to submitting an initial bid<em>. </em>Therefore, two parties submitted a tender application<em>.</em></p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 31/01/2019 17:50:19 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1047694

registered interest
date	24/01/2019
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, what the cost has been of setting up the What Works Centre to date.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	212376
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>In October 2017, 2 contracts were awarded by Department for Education to establish the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care. A consortium led by NESTA was awarded the contract for an ‘incubator’ and Cardiff University was awarded the ‘research partner’ role. The contracts have a total value of £9.8 million and will run until March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2018 the research partner’s contract was extended by up to £2.4 million in order to support the implementation of a number of projects in 6 local authorities. This money is exclusively for those local authorities to implement and manage the projects with the management costs for Cardiff absorbed into their existing contract.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 29/01/2019 17:42:08 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck