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1438887

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2022
	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, if he will make it his policy to extend the Adoption Support Fund to aid the recruitment and retention of foster carers and the children's home workforce.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	136642
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2022 answer text <p>The adoption support fund (ASF) was developed to provide vital therapeutic interventions for children that have left the care system through adoption or special guardianship orders. The ASF does not provide funding for any type of recruitment activity.</p><p><br> However, the department has invested in different approaches to help councils provide the right kind of foster care places. This includes using digital tools to improve information sharing, matching and placement processes. The department has also funded seven local authority-led partnerships to test new approaches to collaborative commissioning and sufficiency planning for fostering placements. In addition, the department is working collaboratively with the residential childcare sector to identify ways to support it to promote careers in the sector, and how it can raise the profile of these roles locally.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/03/2022 14:49:40 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1151364

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Bereavement Support Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to consult on increasing the eligibility for bereavement support payment to include cohabitees.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	3788
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department currently has no plans to consult on increasing the eligibility for bereavement support payment to include cohabitees.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/10/2019 14:24:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1151365

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Bereavement Support Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) 18-month limit for receiving bereavement support payment and (b) three-month limit for claiming bereavement support payment.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	3789
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>We intend to carry out an evaluation of Bereavement Support Payment once sufficient evidence is available for this comparatively new benefit, to enable us to evaluate the policy.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/10/2019 14:23:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1519679

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Cancer: Weaver Vale
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional measures and resources she plans to put in place to tackle the backlog of cancer (a) diagnosis, (b) care and (c) treatment in Weaver Vale constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	60043
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2022 answer text <p>We have committed a further £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million targeted Investment Fund made available in 2021/22 to increase capacity in elective services, including for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ targets returning the number of people waiting more than 62 days to start treatment following an urgent referral due to suspected cancer to pre-pandemic levels by March 2023 and to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard by March 2024.</p><p>Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) is committed to reducing backlogs in cancer diagnosis, treatment and care; raising awareness of the need for early detection of cancer; reducing inequalities in access to cancer services; and championing innovations in finding cancer at the earliest stages.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 27/10/2022 12:05:44 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1465510

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Care Leavers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to improve outcomes for care experienced young people.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	8145
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2022 answer text <p>Every local authority in England must appoint a Virtual School Head who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. Looked-after children have priority in school admissions and attract Pupil Premium Plus funding of £2,410 per child, up to age 16. This is managed by the Virtual School Head, who works with the child’s school to deliver objectives in the child’s Personal Education Plan.</p><p>In October 2021, the department launched a £3 million pilot in 30 local authorities to extend Pupil Premium Plus funding to looked-after children and care leavers in post-16 education. This initially ran until March 2022, and we are committed to continuing the pilot to support looked-after children and care leavers in further education.</p><p>Care leavers also receive financial support to help them engage in education, employment or training, including bursaries of £1,000 to undertake an apprenticeship and £2,000 to go to university, and they are also a priority group for the 16-19 further education bursary.</p><p>The department has launched the care leaver covenant, which supports care leavers into employment, and established the Civil Service care leaver internship scheme, which has seen over 700 young people being offered 12 month paid internships across government.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 01/06/2022 16:52:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1422703

	registered interest
	date	18/02/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the safety of children in local authority care; and if his Department will take steps to ensure the safety of children by ensuring that (a) all settings are regulated by Ofsted, (b) children are not placed in care outside their local authority area due to lack of appropriate placements and (c) children are cared for by more than two staff members at any one time.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	125463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2022 answer text <p>Local authorities have statutory duties to meet the needs of children they look after, and to keep them safe. The government is committed to ensuring that all placements provide children and young people with the care and support they need.</p><p>The vast majority of looked after children live with foster carers or in a children’s homes. Foster carers and children’s’ homes are already subject to robust regulatory checks and balances by Ofsted, to ensure that they meet the needs of children they accommodate and keep them safe. A growing number of older children live in supported accommodation, often termed ‘unregulated provision’ because it is not currently registered and inspected by Ofsted.</p><p>The department will invest over £142 million across the next three years to fund the introduction of new mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration and inspection for these providers. This will mean that all placements that accommodate looked after children and care leavers up to 18 will now be regulated by Ofsted.</p><p>Where local authorities place a young person out of area, there are clear statutory requirements in place to safeguard young people. These require the placing authority to inform the host authority before confirming the placement and to check whether the host authority is aware of any concerns about the setting. The statutory responsibilities for looked after children remain with the placing local authority and Director of Children’s Services who must approve all distant placements, and Ofsted can challenge where they believe a poor decision has been made.</p><p>In October 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £259 million capital funding which will provide high quality homes for some of our most vulnerable young people, keeping them closer to families, schools, and health services.</p><p>When local authorities make a placement decision, they are responsible for ensuring the placement is suitable. This includes ensuring staff who will be looking after the child at the setting are appropriately trained and have the skills needed to meet the needs of the child and keep them safe. It is not in accordance with the law to place a looked after child in a setting that does not meet their needs and keep them safe, and it is unacceptable for any child or young person to be placed in such a setting.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 28/02/2022 17:53:34 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1455188

	registered interest
	date	28/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children's Social Care Independent Review
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the final report of the Independent Review on Children's Social Care launched in January 2021 will be published.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	148367
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>The review is scheduled to share its final recommendations in the spring and the government will respond to the recommendations once the review concludes.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 148330 question first answered 05/04/2022 15:35:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1465501

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children's Social Care National Implementation Board
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how membership of the Care Review Implementation Board of experts will be decided.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	8140
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2022 answer text <p>The National Implementation Board will include people with experience of leading transformational change and those with their own experience of the care system. We will set out more details about the board in due course.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 8141 question first answered 01/06/2022 16:46:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1465502

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children's Social Care National Implementation Board
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people will sit on the Care Review Implementation Board of experts.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	8141
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2022 answer text <p>The National Implementation Board will include people with experience of leading transformational change and those with their own experience of the care system. We will set out more details about the board in due course.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 8140 question first answered 01/06/2022 16:46:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1403999

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made over the number of women at risk of unemployment due to (a) lack of available childcare spaces and (c) the rising costs for childcare.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	106865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2022 answer text <p>In terms of the availability of childcare spaces, we know from findings from the 2021 Childcare and early years providers survey that there is some spare capacity in the system. 7 in 10 (70 per cent) group-based providers reported having spare places in their full day provision and almost half of childminders (49%) reported having spare capacity on average across the week. The survey can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2021</a>.</p><p>We continue to monitor sufficiency of childcare and liaise regularly with local authorities through telephone calls and regular surveys. They are not currently reporting any substantial sufficiency or supply issues and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place, either this term or since early years providers re-opened fully on 1 June 2020.</p><p>This government is committed to making childcare more affordable and more accessible. In terms of the costs of childcare, this includes 15 hours free early education for all three and four year olds and disadvantaged two year olds, as well as an additional 15 hours for eligible working parents (also known as ‘30 hours’), which can help save families over £6,000 per child a year.</p><p>The tax-free childcare offer is also available for working families. This scheme means that for every £8 parents pay their provider via an online account, the government will pay £2, up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year (up to £500 every 3 months).</p><p>Additionally, Universal Credit childcare reimburses up to 85% of childcare costs for working parents on a low income. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children, payable in arrears</p><p>Findings from the department’s parent survey (published in December 2019) highlights the positive impact the 30 hours free childcare entitlements can have on parents’ working patterns, with a third (33%) of parents saying that in the absence of 30 hours they would be working fewer hours and the majority of parents (70%) reporting that 30 hours had given them more flexibility in the hours they could work. It also showed that a small but notable proportion of mothers reported that accessing the 30 hours had led them to enter work (6%) or increase their hours (17%). The survey can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2019</a>.</p><p>The department continues to explore what more can be done to help parents access childcare which suits their lives, including out of hours childcare or before or after school. We are committed to working together across government to make our current suite of offers work as effectively as possible and ensure it delivers for those parents who need it.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/01/2022 15:51:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury