The statutory guidance, Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked after children, published in 2015, reflects the requirement that the relevant local authority must make arrangements for the initial health assessment to be carried out by a registered medical professional who is suitably qualified to assess a young person's physical, emotional, and mental health needs.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4492", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Maria Caulfield"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lewes"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Maria Caulfield"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-29T16:29:40.957Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Services: Young People"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has issued recent guidance to integrated care boards on their role in assessing the mental and emotional health of young people entering care using a person qualified to assess mental health as part of the initial health assessment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4616", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rosie Duffield"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Canterbury"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Rosie Duffield"} ], "uin" : "23541"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1655892", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1655892/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government recognises that supporting young people to transition successfully from care to employment requires all government departments and relevant public bodies to play their part. This is why the care leaver Ministerial Board has been established, co-chaired by Department for Education and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretaries of State, and including Ministers from 12 other departments, to consider what more can be done collectively to improve care leavers\u2019 outcomes. In response to the independent review of children\u2019s social care 'Stable Homes, Built on Love: strategy and consultation', the department has committed to legislate to extend corporate parenting responsibilities to government departments and other relevant public bodies, when Parliamentary time allows. The strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childrens-social-care-stable-homes-built-on-love<\/a>.<\/p> In helping to increase the proportion of care leavers in education, employment and training, the department recently increased the apprenticeship bursary from £1,000 to £3,000. In addition, local authorities are required to provide a £2,000 bursary if the young person is studying in higher education. Care leavers are also a priority group for the 16-19 bursary (up to £1,200 per year) if studying in further education. The department is also committing £24 million between 2023/25 to expand the support provided by virtual school heads to care leavers in 16-19 education.<\/p> At present, over 400 businesses have signed the care leaver covenant and are offering employment opportunities to care leavers, including big employers such as John Lewis, Sky, Amazon and the NHS (which has pledged to offer up to 1,000 employment opportunities for care leavers over the next 3 years). Further to this, the Civil Service care leaver internship scheme will continue, which has led to nearly 1,000 care leavers taking up paid jobs across government since the scheme began.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-09-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-09-15T17:29:29.433Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-09-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Services: Young People"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support young adults transitioning from full-time social care into employment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "195769"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1342443", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1342443/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The department has ensured that children's social care services have continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/p> The department\u2019s regional improvement teams are working with local authorities who are experiencing challenges in providing statutory social care services to children. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have restarted their inspection and revisit activity, which once again allows us to monitor and hold local areas to account for quality of services. We established a vulnerable children and young people survey of local authorities and have been reviewing data to give insight into the ongoing delivery of children\u2019s social care services.<\/p> We are continuing to support local authorities to deliver services that meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Education, health and care plan quality and timeliness is something we have been monitoring through the COVID-19 outbreak and continue to do so. The NHS COVID-19 recovery plan includes measures that will support the recovery of health services for children with SEND and additional funding for respite services of £3 million. The published COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing recovery action plan (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/973936/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-recovery-action-plan.pdf<\/a>) also references various areas of support for children, including £31 million to be used to address particular challenges faced by individuals with a learning disability.<\/p> Therapeutic, speech and language services for children with SEND have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The department are working urgently with education settings, the relevant Royal Colleges, and the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that these issues are tackled. We have taken steps to remind schools and colleges that they should allow access to therapists and health professionals, and of their ability to use recovery and catch-up funding to secure further therapies within school.<\/p> We continue to provide support to families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. We provided £40.8 million for the Family Fund in financial year 2020-21 to support over 90,000 families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. This included £13.5 million to specifically respond to needs arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. This financial year a total of £27.3 million is available.<\/p>