Found: lot has been covered, but I just want to raise the issue that, in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: lot has been covered, but I just want to raise the issue that, in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: Department will monitor and review the impact of the measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: lot has been covered, but I just want to raise the issue that, in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: There is a Bill in Parliament—the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill— that gives the Department for

Found: seeks to establish ‘consistent identifiers’ for children through its Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: with the arguments set out in the Sex Education Forum’s Amendment to Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: Letter from Minister for School Standards on Scrutiny of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, dated

Found: a number of reforms to the children’s social care system through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: approach and provide additional information to note concerns about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: The new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes a clause to set up multi-agency child protection

Found: signalled its intention to address these issues with measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: legal requirement to deliver a kinship local offer as outlined in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: School, Kingston upon HullSEN0523 Magic Breakfast’s Amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: However, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will bring children in need and kinship children

Found: Armed Forces Commissioner Bill Committee and the Non- Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Khan of Burnley on 1 April (HL Deb col 134) that clause 3 of the Non-Domestic Ratings (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill provides powers to "exclude classes of hereditament from the higher multiplier", whether they will exclude those hereditaments that are publicly funded, including (1) hospitals, (2) police stations, and (3) educational buildings.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27.

This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with a Rateable Value of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants, so that they can help support the viability of high streets.

The Spring Statement confirmed the spending envelope for phase 2 of the spending review, which will deliver new mission-led, technology-enabled and reform-driven budgets for departments. We will consider the full range of priorities and pressures facing departments in the round, including any impact of the higher multiplier, when setting these budgets.

The rates for any new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that all schools in Sandwell are listing teaching jobs with a (a) main and (b) upper pay scale.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

For maintained schools, the school teachers’ pay and conditions document (STPCD) sets out which pay range would be appropriate for any teaching role advertised in England, including Sandwell, and includes the main and upper pay ranges. The document is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-teachers-pay-and-conditions.

Non-maintained schools, including academies and free schools, are responsible for determining the pay and conditions of their staff. Such schools are therefore not currently obliged to follow the statutory arrangements set out in the STPCD, although they may still choose to do so if they wish.

However, through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department will require academies to have regard to the STPCD, ensuring an established starting point for all state schools while giving confidence that existing or future changes which benefit teachers and pupils, will be able to continue.

Taken together, the Bill measures and the changes we make through secondary legislation following this Bill will create a pay floor with no ceiling, ensuring all state school teachers can rely on a core pay offer and all schools can innovate to attract and retain the best teachers.

For either maintained or academy schools, it would be for the individual school to determine for themselves, when advertising vacant posts, whether the requirements of the post are more suited to the main or upper pay range, depending on the school’s budget and the range of experience and skills that applying candidates demonstrate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to manage the sharing of information regarding children who perform as part of the process of ensuring compliance with regulatory restrictions.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of provisions in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on the ability of young performers to request absences from school for performances.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how safeguarding provisions for young performers absent from school for work will operate following the enactment of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure that the provisions of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill do not prevent young performers from contributing to the creative industries.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of local authorities licensing young performers absent from schools for performing engagements; and of how that licensing regime will be impacted under the provisions of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that young performers are safeguarded under the proposed registration requirement in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to reintroduce a safeguarding database for children.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Keeping children safe is a priority for this government. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department is taking a range of steps to improve safeguarding. We are introducing a new information sharing duty, making provision for a Single Unique Identifier, strengthening the role of education in local safeguarding arrangements and introducing multi-agency child protection teams.

There are presently no plans to re-introduce a national safeguarding database for children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the removal of the automatic right to home educate under the Children and Wellbeing Bill on parents home schooling their children.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest.

There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from parents who home school their children about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest.

There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with parents who home school their children to discuss the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest.

There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support the well-being of children returning to school following a period of home education in South Suffolk constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Supporting the wellbeing of children in schools is central to their ability to achieve and thrive. That is why the department encourages schools to ensure a calm, orderly, safe and supportive environment where all pupils want to be are ready to learn. The department also provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ wellbeing, including a resources hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based early support for pupils.

The information that local authorities will collect through the Children Not in School statutory registers, which the department are introducing under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, will help to build a clearer picture of the child’s individual needs and circumstances and enable the local authority or school to provide the tailored support required to best meet those needs.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill also introduces a duty on local authorities to provide advice and information to parents of children on their registers, should the parents request it.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of support for children in kinship care.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is taking a number of steps to ensure that children in kinship care get the support that they need to thrive. This includes promoting their educational and mental health needs and supporting the people who care for them.

From September 2024, the department expanded the role of virtual school heads on a non-statutory basis to include championing the education, attendance and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school. The department is now mandating this through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

In addition, the department is providing over £3 billion of pupil premium funding to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in England, including looked after and previously looked after children. Schools can direct pupil premium spending where the need is greatest, including to pupils with other identified needs, such as children in kinship care. Schools can also use pupil premium on whole class approaches that will benefit all pupils, such as on high quality teaching.

Some children in kinship care will be able to access the adoption and special guardianship support fund, which helps adoptive and special guardianship order children and their families access therapeutic interventions related to trauma and attachment.

Children in kinship care will also benefit from this government’s commitment to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. We will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

The steps the government is taking to improve support for kinship carers will also improve the support children living in kinship care receive. In October, the department announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities. This pilot will test whether paying an allowance will help support more children to live and thrive with a kinship carer.

In addition, the government has provided over 140 peer support groups and a package of training and support for all kinship carers to access across England. The increased financial support, emotional support and training kinship carers receive should help them in their role as carers and enhance the support they give the children in their care.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Impact Note on removal of eligibility of private schools for business rates charitable relief, published on 30 October 2024, for what reasons the Government did not model the impact on economic growth.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Policies and legislation concerning tax and tax administration fall outside the meaning of regulatory provisions and, therefore, are not required to be accompanied by an Impact Assessment.

Nevertheless, the government has conducted detailed analysis of the effects of business rates changes using the available Department for Education and Valuation Office Agency data.

The impact note published on 13 November 2024, alongside the introduction of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, provides detailed analysis of the average business rates change per pupil for private schools; distributional analysis by region, religious ethos, and pupil population; as well as anticipated pupil movements, associated costs, and equalities impacts.

The methodology for calculating the cost of this change has been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. The estimation of impacts, such as pupil movements, follows from that methodology.

The OBR's economic forecast in October modelled the macroeconomic impacts of the Budget package, including the measures relating to private schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children in kinship care receive adequate (a) education and (b) mental health support.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is committed to ensuring that children in kinship care get the support that they need to thrive. There are a number of ways in which we support their educational and mental health needs.

From September 2024, the department expanded the role of virtual school heads on a non-statutory basis to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school. The department is now mandating this through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This will ensure that all children in kinship care, regardless of whether they spent time in local authority care, will ensure they receive consistent support to improve their educational outcomes. This will also give kinship carers better access to and understanding of educational resources and support, which will increase visibility of these children in education and ensure they are not overlooked.

In addition, the department is providing over £2.9 billion of pupil premium funding to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in England, including looked after and previously looked after children. Schools can direct pupil premium spending where the need is greatest, including to pupils with other identified needs, such as children in kinship care. Schools can also use pupil premium on whole class approaches that will benefit all pupils, such as on high quality teaching.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education. The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

As of April 2024, NHS-funded mental health support teams covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England, and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025. The department will also be putting in place new young futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. For example, a resources hub for mental health leads, and a toolkit to help schools choose evidence-based early support for pupils.

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund also helps adoptive and special guardianship order children and their families access therapeutic interventions related to trauma and attachment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on student discipline in educational settings.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Good behaviour in schools is essential to ensure that all pupils, no matter their background, can achieve and thrive.

Every pupil deserves to learn in a safe, calm classroom and the government will always support our hard-working and dedicated teachers to make this happen.

A Child Rights Impact Assessment has been published assessing the impact of all measures in the Bill on children and young people, including any impact on pupil behaviour in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve the terms and conditions of teachers in the public sector.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

There is a statutory process for making revisions to the pay and conditions of teachers, and any change must first be referred by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

The department’s written evidence for the 2025/2026 pay round asks the STRB to consider how schools can support teachers from all backgrounds and promote flexible working, which will improve the experience of teaching and help deliver the best possible education for students.

The department is also asking the STRB to consider how additional responsibility payments can be more fairly managed for part-time teachers.

The department will also use the new powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to make changes to the teacher pay and conditions framework to create a pay floor with no ceiling, to enable healthy competition and innovation beyond a core framework, which will help to improve all state schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 27 January (HL Deb col 9), when they will publish the child's rights impact assessments for the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Child’s Rights Impact Assessment was published on 17 March 2025. This is attached and can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d7dd3ded6ca9014ba2a28e/Children_s_Wellbeing_and_Schools_Bill_child_s_rights_impact_assessment.pdf.

This assessment examines where children are directly impacted by the policies, and/or where there are particular groups of children and young people more likely to be affected than others.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support care leavers after the age of 21 to help ensure that they have stable living arrangements.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Supporting care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government.

Housing and concerns about accommodation rank as one of the highest worries for care leavers, and for professionals trying to support them.

The department is introducing, through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a new duty for local authorities to consider whether former relevant children, up to age 25, require support to find and keep suitable accommodation, and support to access services relating to health and wellbeing, relationships, education and training, employment and participating in society. If support is required, the local authority should then provide this in the form of a ‘staying close’ arrangement.

The Bill also introduces an additional requirement on local authorities to publish the arrangements they have in place for the purpose of supporting and assisting care leavers in their transition to adulthood. This information in the local authority’s local offer will aid care leavers to look at all the options open to them and help them make informed decisions when deciding upon accommodation and other support they might wish to access.

The Bill also includes a measure to ensure that where a council is their corporate parent, no care leaver can be found to have become homeless intentionally.

All care leavers are entitled to support from a Personal Adviser (PA) until they are 25. PAs help care leavers to access services like housing, health and benefits, as well as providing practical and emotional support for independent living. PAs also work with care leavers to create a mandatory pathway plan outlining the support provided by the local authority.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of local authority employees working with home educating families that are only employed during school term time; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on the working hours these staff will need to undertake in the future.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department does not hold information on the number of local authority employees working with home-educating families that are only employed during term time. Local authorities determine their own approaches to staffing.

Additional local authority resource will be required to undertake the new duties created by the Children Not in School measures detailed in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We are considering these additional requirements and will conduct a full new burdens assessment as is required.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will apply to armed forces initial training establishments that accept under-18-year-olds.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will strengthen multi-agency working between local authorities, health, police and education and childcare settings, and those settings will be designated in regulations. The department expects safeguarding partners to work together with relevant agencies to promote the welfare of children in their local area regardless of what type of education or training establishment they are attending.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve support for care leavers in rural areas.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department knows that care leavers have some of the worst outcomes in society and we are committed to ensuring that all young people leaving care, irrespective of where they live, have stable homes, access to health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships, and are engaged in education, employment and training.

While many of the issues that care leavers face will be common to all young people leaving care, the department knows that those who live in rural areas can face additional challenges, such as fewer employment opportunities, limited public transport and increased risk of loneliness and isolation, which can make their transition to independence more difficult.

All local authorities are required to publish their ‘local offer’ for care leavers, which provides information about the statutory support that all care leavers are entitled to, and any discretionary services the local authority provides, to support care leavers in their transition to adulthood. Each local authority’s local offer should reflect the particular circumstances faced by its care leavers, including those that arise due to the fact that they live in a rural location.

The department is strengthening the local offer through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to drive forward our manifesto commitments on children’s social care. The Bill will provide ‘Staying close support’ across the country, including in rural areas, for care leavers up to the age of 25. Staying close will increase support for young people leaving residential care through move-on accommodation and ongoing support from a keyworker.

The Bill will also require each local authority to publish the arrangements it has in place to support and assist care leavers, particularly around accommodation and joint working between local authority care leaver and housing teams.

Local housing authorities owe various duties to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In certain circumstances local housing authorities have a duty to secure settled accommodation for them, but this is only the case where, in addition to other criteria, the person is not found to have become homeless intentionally. Through the Bill, we are removing intentional homelessness decisions for eligible care leavers to further strengthen support for this vulnerable cohort.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of designating care leavers as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that designation on opportunities for care leavers.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is committed to enabling all children and young people to achieve and thrive. To ensure we are providing the best support for children in care and care leavers we have tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which introduces corporate parenting responsibilities on government departments and relevant public bodies to ensure that services and support to children in care and care leavers better take account of the challenges these young people face.

Whilst we currently have no plans to update the Equality Act, we believe our corporate parenting proposals will serve to tackle the stigma and discrimination that we know children in care and care leavers experience.

The department knows that care leavers have some of the worst outcomes in society across all aspects of their lives and we are committed to ensuring that young people leaving care have stable homes, access to health services, support to build lifelong, loving relationships and are engaged in education, employment and training.

To support these ambitions, the department has re-established a Care Leaver Ministerial Board, chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which brings together ministers from key departments to improve support for care leavers across government.

The department has also introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to drive forward our reforms on children’s social care, including placing new duties on local authorities to provide ‘Staying Close’ support to care leavers up to the age of 25 and requiring each local authority to publish information about the arrangements it has in place to support care leavers in their transition to independent living.

We are determined to tackle the stigma and discrimination faced by care-experienced young people, by creating a culture where all those who play a role in the lives of children in care and care leavers are ambitious for their outcomes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the guidance entitled Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 in preventing children from being returned to abusive parents.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Local authorities have a duty to protect all children, including those returning home from care.

The statutory 'Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations volume 2: care planning, placement and case review' is clear that where the plan is for a child to return to the care of their family when they cease to be looked-after, there should be a robust planning and decision-making process to ensure that this decision is in the best interests of the child and will safeguard and promote their welfare.

The multi-agency statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children 2023’ reinforces the legal obligations for individuals and organisations to ensure the safety of children, including those returning home.

Local statutory safeguarding partners, such as local authorities, integrated care boards and police chiefs have responsibility for the delivery and monitoring of multi-agency priorities and procedures to protect and safeguard children in the local area, and are required to publish an annual report on the effectiveness of their arrangements.

Internal analysis of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements’ annual reports and on the impact of how the ‘Working together to safeguard children 2023' statutory guidance was strengthened in 2023 is encouraging, especially regarding how safeguarding partners are implementing its requirements.

Ofsted also has a vital role to play in ensuring that the settings and services that support children are safe and effective, and that children leaving care are given the right support to achieve and thrive, with 100 local authorities now rated Good or Outstanding for children’s services.

Protecting children at risk of abuse and stopping vulnerable children falling through cracks in services are at the heart of the government’s landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced on 17 December 2024.

The department’s investment in reforms includes over £500 million for Family Help and child protection services. We expect Family Help to provide support where children in care may be able to return safely to their families.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that chairs of family group conferences are fully trained.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The department knows that many local authorities have an existing family group decision making (FGDM) service in place, including many who use the family group conference model. In some local authorities, independent coordinators are recruited to facilitate or ‘chair’ FGDM meetings and, in other areas, social workers are trained to deliver the service.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department is seeking to place a duty on local authorities to offer an FGDM meeting to all parents and those with parental responsibility whose children are on the edge of care, unless this is not in the best interests of the child. This will ensure that families have the opportunity to participate in planning and decision-making at this critical point.

As part of this, the department will be developing guidance about best practice in delivering FGDM. This will include guidance on how to ensure that facilitators of the FGDM process have the appropriate skills and training. We are conscious of the additional resources that local authorities will require to fulfil this measure, which may include recruiting or training extra staff. That is why this government has committed to an uplift of £13 million for the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant for 2025/26, which will be used to support the rollout of FGDM across the country for all families on the edge of care. This money can be used to expand a local authority’s existing service, including training additional facilitators for FGDM.

Found: report. 1.3 Recent parliamentary debate During Committee Stage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: HL Bill 84 of 2024–25

Found: looked after children and section 6.1 of the Library briefing on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: Overlap with The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 5.1.

Found: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: HL Bill 84

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill MARSHALLED LIST OF MOTIONS TO BE MOVED ON

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill COMMONS REASONS [The page and line references

Found: Lords Message: Monday 31 March 2025 Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill (Decisions

Found: MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill Committee

Found: NON-DOMESTIC RATING (MULTIPLIERS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS) BILL Consideration of Lords Message [27 March

Found: Lords Message: Monday 31 March 2025 Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill (Motions

Found: looked after children and section 6.1 of the Library briefing on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill LORDS NON-INSISTENCE, AMENDMENTS IN LIEU

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers) Bill (changed to Non- Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers) Bill (changed to Non- Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

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Found: MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill Committee

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers) Bill Changed from the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

Found: [Bill 209]-EN 1 [59-1] OFFICIAL OFFICIAL NON-DOMESTIC RATING (MULTIPLIERS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS) BILL

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill (changed to Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers

Found: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Impact Assessment from the Department for Education

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill MARSHALLED LIST OF AMENDMENTS TO BE MOVED

Found: HL Bill 84—EN 59/1 CHILDREN’S WELLBEING AND SCHOOLS BILL EXPLANATORY NOTES What these notes

Found: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Delegated Powers Memorandum

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill RUNNING LIST OF ALL AMENDMENTS ON THIRD

Found: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill EXPLANATORY NOTES Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by

Found: 1 Clause CHILDREN’S WELLBEING AND SCHOOLS BILL REVISED EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Found: Report Stage: Tuesday 18 March 2025 Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper

Found: Report Stage: Tuesday 18 March 2025 Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper

Found: Report Stage: Tuesday 18 March 2025 Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Report Stage Decisions)

Found: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill [AS AMENDED ON REPORT] CONTENTS Additional

Found: Report Stage: Monday 17 March 2025 Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Report Stage Decisions)

Found: Report Stage: Monday 17 March 2025 Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper

Found: Report Stage: Monday 17 March 2025 Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper

Found: MONDAY 17 MARCH 2025 CHILDREN’S WELLBEING AND SCHOOLS BILL Consideration (report stage) of Bill

Found: the Opportunities mission, and the measures being taken through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: discuss school system measures that will be introducted as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: The measures build on the landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to better support vulnerable

Found: The plans come alongside wider measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to deliver high-quality

Found: And much of our vital action is delivered by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Found: abolition of the overall effectiveness grades and the expected reforms in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: That is why, through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are introducing compulsory Children

Found: We are deeply concerned to note the acceptance of the Parliamentary Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: 1 LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM Schools Bill 1.

Found: and Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Schools Bill

Found: senedd.wales 16 December 2022 Dear Llywydd, Jayne and Huw, Further to the LCM on the Schools Bill

Found: The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Schools Bill 1 .

Found: The Schools Bill: Report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum 1 Executive summary

Found: and Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Schools Bill

Found: Procurement Bill;  Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill;  UK Infrastructure Bank Bill;  Schools Bill

Found: 1 LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 1.

Found: to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Found: Written Statement: The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (10 March 2025)

Question

Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the Welsh Government's rationale behind asking the UK Government to apply parts of their Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill to Wales?

Answered by None

Question

What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had with home educators about aspects of the UK Government's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which apply to Wales?

Answered by None