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1170268

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
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 he plans to bring forward proposals for long term reform of the children's social care system as set out in the December 2019 Queen's Speech.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	2548
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>Every child growing up in care should have a stable, secure environment where they feel supported, regardless of the type of their placement. Due to this reason, we are committed to undertaking a review of the care system. This was set out in the Conservative Party’s manifesto and it is an early priority to deliver on this commitment. Doing so will allow us to go even further and to make sure that all care placements and settings provide children and young people with the support they need.</p><p>‘Fostering Better Outcomes (2018)’ sets out our ambitions for foster care, including our plans to undertake a digital project to explore how technology can help improve the quality and consistency of data on foster parents, to inform recruitment, planning and vacancy management. This project has been underway since October 2019. The aim of the project is not to design a central register but to improve our understanding of the feasibility and potential of national digital approaches to addressing the current challenges.</p><p>While most children in care are placed in children’s homes or foster care, an increasing number of children are placed in independent and semi-independent settings. For many older children, this is the right type of placement to meet their needs and develop their independence ahead of adult life. Where local authorities place children in these settings, they must ensure that these settings are suitable. It is unacceptable for any child to be placed for any amount of time in a setting that does not meet their needs and keep them safe.</p><p>We cannot imagine a circumstance under which a child under the age of 16 should be placed in an independent or semi-independent setting that does not deliver care, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has written to local authorities asking them to review these placements. We are considering where we must go further to ensure that these settings are used appropriately and that they are of good quality.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 2552 2553 question first answered 16/01/2020 14:17:19 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1170328

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to provide more school places for children with complex special educational needs.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	2551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to investing in school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).</p><p>The Department has allocated £365 million to local authorities across 2018 to 2021 through the Special Provision Capital Fund. This funding supports local authorities to create places for pupils with SEND. This funding also improves facilities for them in mainstream and special schools, nurseries, colleges and other education providers. The Department will continue to keep capital funding for pupils with SEND under review ahead of the next Spending Review.</p><p>In addition to this, 43 new Special Free Schools have opened since 2012 with a further 48 approved to open in the future. This will provide an additional 5,000 high quality new places. The Department also approved bids from local authorities for 37 new Special Schools and hope to announce the successful trusts to run these schools early this year.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 16/01/2020 17:37:25 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1170388

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Foster Care: Registration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward proposals for a central register of foster parents.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	2552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>Every child growing up in care should have a stable, secure environment where they feel supported, regardless of the type of their placement. Due to this reason, we are committed to undertaking a review of the care system. This was set out in the Conservative Party’s manifesto and it is an early priority to deliver on this commitment. Doing so will allow us to go even further and to make sure that all care placements and settings provide children and young people with the support they need.</p><p>‘Fostering Better Outcomes (2018)’ sets out our ambitions for foster care, including our plans to undertake a digital project to explore how technology can help improve the quality and consistency of data on foster parents, to inform recruitment, planning and vacancy management. This project has been underway since October 2019. The aim of the project is not to design a central register but to improve our understanding of the feasibility and potential of national digital approaches to addressing the current challenges.</p><p>While most children in care are placed in children’s homes or foster care, an increasing number of children are placed in independent and semi-independent settings. For many older children, this is the right type of placement to meet their needs and develop their independence ahead of adult life. Where local authorities place children in these settings, they must ensure that these settings are suitable. It is unacceptable for any child to be placed for any amount of time in a setting that does not meet their needs and keep them safe.</p><p>We cannot imagine a circumstance under which a child under the age of 16 should be placed in an independent or semi-independent setting that does not deliver care, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has written to local authorities asking them to review these placements. We are considering where we must go further to ensure that these settings are used appropriately and that they are of good quality.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 2548 2553 question first answered 16/01/2020 14:17:19 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1170389

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Supported Housing: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward proposals for the regulation of semi-supported housing for young people.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	2553
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>Every child growing up in care should have a stable, secure environment where they feel supported, regardless of the type of their placement. Due to this reason, we are committed to undertaking a review of the care system. This was set out in the Conservative Party’s manifesto and it is an early priority to deliver on this commitment. Doing so will allow us to go even further and to make sure that all care placements and settings provide children and young people with the support they need.</p><p>‘Fostering Better Outcomes (2018)’ sets out our ambitions for foster care, including our plans to undertake a digital project to explore how technology can help improve the quality and consistency of data on foster parents, to inform recruitment, planning and vacancy management. This project has been underway since October 2019. The aim of the project is not to design a central register but to improve our understanding of the feasibility and potential of national digital approaches to addressing the current challenges.</p><p>While most children in care are placed in children’s homes or foster care, an increasing number of children are placed in independent and semi-independent settings. For many older children, this is the right type of placement to meet their needs and develop their independence ahead of adult life. Where local authorities place children in these settings, they must ensure that these settings are suitable. It is unacceptable for any child to be placed for any amount of time in a setting that does not meet their needs and keep them safe.</p><p>We cannot imagine a circumstance under which a child under the age of 16 should be placed in an independent or semi-independent setting that does not deliver care, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has written to local authorities asking them to review these placements. We are considering where we must go further to ensure that these settings are used appropriately and that they are of good quality.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 2548 2552 question first answered 16/01/2020 14:17:19 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1169546

registered interest
date	08/01/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all mainstream schools can offer an inclusive education to all children with special educational needs.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	1419
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>We are committed to inclusive education of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and the progressive removal of barriers to learning and participation in mainstream education. This commitment is reflected in the law on SEND and underpins all aspects of the SEND system. We have made our expectation clear that every school is a school for pupils with SEND and that every teacher is a teacher of pupils with SEND.</p><p> </p><p>To support mainstream schools to meet the needs of pupils with SEND effectively, we will provide, for example, an extra £780 million in high needs funding next year. This figure is an increase of 12% compared to this year, bringing the total amount for supporting pupils with the most complex needs (including pupils in mainstream schools who have an education, health and care plan) to £7.2 billion. This increase will be the largest year-on-year increase since the high needs funding block was created in 2013.</p><p> </p><p>We have also launched a review of the SEND system, which is considering how the system has evolved since 2014, how it can be made to work best for all families and how we can ensure quality of provision is the same across the country. The review is also looking at how all schools and colleges can provide the best possible support to enable all children and young people with SEND to thrive and prepare for adulthood.</p><p> </p><p>Our commitment to support for pupils with SEND is also reflected in the teacher-training approach that special educational provision is underpinned by high quality teaching. As part of teachers’ initial training, qualified teachers must have demonstrated their ability to recognise and respond to a wide range of pupils’ needs, including pupils with SEND.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, a SEND schools’ workforce contract worth £3.9 million has been in place over the period 2018 to 2020 to equip the workforce to deliver high quality teaching to pupils with all types of SEND.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 13/01/2020 15:01:14 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1167052

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Family Rights Group: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to maintain funding for the Family Rights Group family advice line beyond March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	7153
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>The department’s grant funding to the Family Rights Group for running the Family and Friends Helpline, which supports Kinship Carers, ends on 31 March 2020. The Treasury has now allocated budgets for 2020-21 only. The department will conduct any necessary procurement work for grants and contracts in due course.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 04/11/2019 17:19:18 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1147489

registered interest
date	01/10/2019
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, what steps he is taking to help local authorities recruit foster carers.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	292918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>In Fostering Better Outcomes (2018), the department encouraged local authorities to consider joint recruitment efforts. To help with this, and to support local authorities to develop evidence-based recruitment approaches, the department is commissioning research on applying behavioural insight approaches to the recruitment of prospective foster carers and adopters.</p><p>In addition, the department is funding 7 feasibility studies in commissioning and sufficiency planning, bringing together local authorities with their partners to explore innovative practices, including collaborative approaches to foster care recruitment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 07/10/2019 11:09:07 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1147493

registered interest
date	01/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Restraint Techniques
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidences of the use of restraint in children's homes.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	292919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, for the first time, introduced quality standards for children’s homes. Through the guide to the regulations and quality standards, we make clear that the only purposes for which restraint can be used are to prevent injury to any person; prevent serious damage to the property of any person; or prevent a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.</p><p>When restraint involves the use of force, the force used must not be more than is necessary and should be applied in a way that is proportionate. The regulations are clear that restraint that deliberately inflicts pain cannot be proportionate and should never be used on children in children’s homes.</p><p>Where restraint is used, records must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the incident, identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concerns emerge.</p><p>Ofsted is responsible for inspecting children’s homes and on inspection will review the policies and procedures homes have in place for the use of restraint, including the recording of incidents. Ofsted will review individual cases of restraint to ensure practice is proportionate and meets the needs of the child. Where poor practice is identified, Ofsted can take enforcement action including issuing compliance notices where necessary.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 07/10/2019 06:29:11 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1147570

registered interest
date	01/10/2019
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 indicators his Department uses to measure the effectiveness of the children's care system.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	292920
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The department uses a wide range of indicators to measure the effectiveness of the children’s care system. These are provided at local, regional and national level in the department’s statistical first releases and brought together in our local authority interactive tool. This can be found at: <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>We also use Ofsted judgements to assess the effectiveness of children’s services. This enables the department to intervene where necessary, to follow up on any concerns in local authorities and to explore good practice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 07/10/2019 06:28:40 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1146454

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care: Criminal Proceedings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will publish data on rates of criminalisation among looked after young people by type of care placement in its annual report, Children looked after in England including adoption.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	291395
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>We review the content of the ‘Children looked after in England (including adoption)’ statistical release annually. We will consider any new content to the release in due course.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 04/10/2019 12:21:41 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed