Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) total number, and (2) percentage, of parents eligible for 30 hours of free childcare who have not used those hours in the most recent period for which data is available; and what assessment they have made of the main reason for non-take up of the entitlement, including lack of local capacity or administrative complexity.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

As of January 2025, 1.7 million eligible children were registered for childcare entitlements. This includes the number of 3 and 4 year-olds registered for the universal entitlement, the number of children aged 9 months to 2 years registered for the working parent entitlement, and the number of 2 year-olds registered for early learning for two year-olds entitlement. Additional take up statistics for early years entitlements can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2025.

Furthermore, the Childcare Experience Survey explores some of the reasons that parents do not take up entitlements, though this does not cover the latest expansion to 30 hours from 9 months.

The department remains committed to improving awareness of and access to the early years' entitlements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current staff turnover rate for qualified early years educators in England; and what steps they plan to take to address the disparity between median early years sector wages and the average starting salary for a primary school teaching assistant with equivalent qualifications.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The ‘Childcare and early years providers survey: 2025’ shows turnover rate for all early years educators in private group-based providers is 16% and 7% in school-based providers. Estimated turnover rates have fallen for both provider types. Fieldwork for the survey was carried out between May and July 2025.

In 2026/27, we expect to provide over £9.5 billion, more than doubling the government’s commitment to funded childcare and reflects above inflation increases to both funding rates and National Living Wage.

Early education is delivered by a mixed market, the majority of which are private, voluntary and independent provision who set their own rates of pay. Hourly pay increased by 8.2% at school-based providers and by 6.3% at group-based providers against a backdrop of a 6.7% increase in the national living wage between 2024 and 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in reducing disparities in health outcomes between ethnic groups; and how that progress is monitored and evaluated.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to increase the amount of time people spend in good health and prevent premature deaths, with an ambitious commitment to halve the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest regions.

Our 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out a reimagined service designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes. This includes tackling the conditions where there are the greatest disparities for ethnic groups.

In England, the maternal mortality rates are significantly higher among women from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds. To combat this, we are introducing an anti-discrimination programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, and have published a ‘Maternal Care Bundle’, which includes best practice for the clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death for women from Black and Asian backgrounds.

NHS England have launched a Maternity and Neonatal Equalities dashboard that brings together key information to address health inequalities in maternity and neonatal care services from a range of data sources, with breakdowns by ethnicity and deprivation to make health inequalities visible, measurable, and actionable in maternity and neonatal services.

We have also legislated to modernise the Mental Health Act to give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support, and ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout their treatment which will seek to address some of the disparities between ethnic groups. The Government is also committed to delivering the cross-sector Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The ambitions outlined in the strategy include research on, and better understanding of, national trends and suicide rates in particular groups, including ethnic minority groups.

We have published a plan designed to transform cancer outcomes and we are determined to close inequalities in screening and early diagnosis for ethnic minority communities and underserved communities through our new Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund, which is part of £200 million for Cancer Alliances.

There are ethnic inequalities that exist across the cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathway, that is, from the prevention of disease, through to treatment and rehabilitation after a CVD event. To address this, the Department and NHS England are working together to deliver the CVD Modern Service Framework and are engaging widely throughout its development. At the heart of this is engagement with people and communities, including through the Race Equality Engagement Group.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many local authority areas currently have a shortfall of funded places for 30 hours of free child care to meet local demand; what is the average reported waiting list time in months for a full-time funded place in the ten worst affected areas; and what target date has been set for ensuring enough funded places are available in all areas.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2026/27, we expect to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years' entitlements. This will more than double annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24, as we have successfully rolled out the expansion of government funded childcare for working parents.

We have announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life. The first phase of the programme is creating up to 6,000 new nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 have been made available from September 2025.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and. Where needed we will support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. The department does not hold data on waiting lists. No local authorities have reported to us that they do not have sufficient childcare places.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average hourly rate paid to early years providers for the 30 hours of free childcare entitlement in this financial year; and what detailed analysis they have carried out to compare that rate to the median hourly cost of childcare delivery for a child aged 3–4 years old in the private, voluntary and independent sector.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2025/26, the average rate per hour that the department pays to local authorities is £11.54 for under 2s, £8.53 for 2-year olds, and £6.12 for 3-and-4-year olds although this will vary by local authorities to reflect how costs vary across the country. Local authorities then use local formulae to determine the rate they pay to providers and there is a statutory duty that at least 96% (rising to 97% in 2026/27) is passed onto providers.

To inform decisions on the rate at which early years providers are funded for delivering entitlements, the department uses an analytical model which uses data from the early years census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, a large-scale and robust survey on the childcare market in England, sampling over 9,000 providers. It also considers various government forecasts such as AEG and CPI and factors in the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the early years sector.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Child Poverty Strategy includes measures to ensure that the parents of a disabled child are considered in support strategies.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Poverty Strategy sets out a range of measures that will address the financial strain on parents and families by boosting their incomes, driving down the cost of essentials, and strengthening local support.

This includes removing the two child limit in Universal Credit, which will see an estimated 560,000 families gaining on average £5,310 p.a. in their award, and introducing the Fair Repayment Rate, benefiting approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households by £420 a year.

We are also addressing families’ costs by increasing Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of UC which will increase families’ incomes by £500 a year, requiring fewer branded school uniform items which will save families £50 per child, and making infant formula more affordable to save families up to £500 over a baby’s first year of life.

We know that parents with caring responsibilities for a disabled child or a child with a long-term health condition can find it especially hard to combine these responsibilities with paid work, as do parents with caring responsibilities for other family members or friends.

Carers will benefit from the wider measures in the strategy that address financial strain, but the government will also work with carers and employers to review the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 which gave employees a right to time off to care for someone who is disabled, has a long-term health condition, or injury.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are included in the Child Poverty Strategy that address the issues of (1) carer burnout, and (2) financial strain on parents and families.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Poverty Strategy sets out a range of measures that will address the financial strain on parents and families by boosting their incomes, driving down the cost of essentials, and strengthening local support.

This includes removing the two child limit in Universal Credit, which will see an estimated 560,000 families gaining on average £5,310 p.a. in their award, and introducing the Fair Repayment Rate, benefiting approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households by £420 a year.

We are also addressing families’ costs by increasing Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of UC which will increase families’ incomes by £500 a year, requiring fewer branded school uniform items which will save families £50 per child, and making infant formula more affordable to save families up to £500 over a baby’s first year of life.

We know that parents with caring responsibilities for a disabled child or a child with a long-term health condition can find it especially hard to combine these responsibilities with paid work, as do parents with caring responsibilities for other family members or friends.

Carers will benefit from the wider measures in the strategy that address financial strain, but the government will also work with carers and employers to review the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 which gave employees a right to time off to care for someone who is disabled, has a long-term health condition, or injury.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the extra costs incurred by disabled people, including for (1) equipment, (2) care, (3) transport, and (4) housing, are accounted for in poverty metrics and support provision.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A range of poverty measures are included in the annual Households Below Average Income Statistics including Relative Low Income (After Housing Costs) and Material Deprivation. Relative Low Income involves setting a threshold based on 60% of net household income after deducing taxes and housing costs. It does not take account of any additional costs incurred due to disability. Material Deprivation involves asking families whether they can afford a set of essential items so the impact of any additional costs due to disability could impact on a family’s ability to afford these items so Material Deprivation metric does take account of these costs.

The extra costs disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), provide a contribution towards the extra costs (which includes equipment, care, transport and housing), that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the Child Poverty Strategy addresses the higher risk of poverty in larger families.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are determined to lift children out of poverty irrespective of the size of their family.

The removal of the two child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures set out in our Strategy, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

We know that large families are disproportionately impacted by the high cost of childcare.

That is why alongside wider changes to strengthen childcare support, we are also specifically increasing childcare support for large families. Currently, the amount of UC childcare that families with two or more children could claim back is capped at £1768.94 a month. We recognise that childcare costs apply to each individual child and it is not right that we have a system that doesn’t reflect this.

We are increasing UC childcare support to help with the childcare costs for all children instead of limiting this to two children, supporting parents who have larger families into work. Eligible parents will receive up to £737.06 in UC childcare support for each additional child beyond the second.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of legally binding child poverty reduction targets on cross-departmental coordination and prioritisation of resources.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our Child Poverty Strategy fulfils our commitment to reducing poverty this Parliament, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty, and sets out our ambition to tackle its structural drivers as part of a long-term, 10-year strategy. This Government has taken decisive action, with the interventions in the Strategy set to lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK), published alongside the Strategy, sets out our plans and further details on our approach will follow in a baseline report this Summer. We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that, with Ministerial oversight, will work across government, the public and private sectors and civil society to maintain focus on tackling child poverty and build on the Strategy.

Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually and we also hold ourselves to account on our progress through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements we have put in place, from this year and in future years, so that the progress we make is transparent for all. Deep material poverty estimates based on two-year averages will be published for each of the UK nations in the March 2026 HBAI publication.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to set (1) child poverty reduction targets, and (2) deep poverty reduction targets, at the beginning of each Parliament.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our Child Poverty Strategy fulfils our commitment to reducing poverty this Parliament, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty, and sets out our ambition to tackle its structural drivers as part of a long-term, 10-year strategy. This Government has taken decisive action, with the interventions in the Strategy set to lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK), published alongside the Strategy, sets out our plans and further details on our approach will follow in a baseline report this Summer. We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that, with Ministerial oversight, will work across government, the public and private sectors and civil society to maintain focus on tackling child poverty and build on the Strategy.

Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually and we also hold ourselves to account on our progress through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements we have put in place, from this year and in future years, so that the progress we make is transparent for all. Deep material poverty estimates based on two-year averages will be published for each of the UK nations in the March 2026 HBAI publication.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to including statutory targets for reducing child poverty in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our Child Poverty Strategy fulfils our commitment to reducing poverty this Parliament, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty, and sets out our ambition to tackle its structural drivers as part of a long-term, 10-year strategy. This Government has taken decisive action, with the interventions in the Strategy set to lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK), published alongside the Strategy, sets out our plans and further details on our approach will follow in a baseline report this Summer. We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that, with Ministerial oversight, will work across government, the public and private sectors and civil society to maintain focus on tackling child poverty and build on the Strategy.

Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually and we also hold ourselves to account on our progress through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements we have put in place, from this year and in future years, so that the progress we make is transparent for all. Deep material poverty estimates based on two-year averages will be published for each of the UK nations in the March 2026 HBAI publication.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that child poverty is reduced during this Parliament.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our Child Poverty Strategy fulfils our commitment to reducing poverty this Parliament, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty, and sets out our ambition to tackle its structural drivers as part of a long-term, 10-year strategy. This Government has taken decisive action, with the interventions in the Strategy set to lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK), published alongside the Strategy, sets out our plans and further details on our approach will follow in a baseline report this Summer. We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that, with Ministerial oversight, will work across government, the public and private sectors and civil society to maintain focus on tackling child poverty and build on the Strategy.

Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually and we also hold ourselves to account on our progress through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements we have put in place, from this year and in future years, so that the progress we make is transparent for all. Deep material poverty estimates based on two-year averages will be published for each of the UK nations in the March 2026 HBAI publication.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure the delivery of the Child Poverty Strategy, particularly in regard to children subject to no recourse to public funds conditions.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In developing the Child Poverty Strategy, the Ministerial Taskforce engaged extensively with families, charities and other organisations across the UK, including those making representations on behalf of children subject to no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This engagement will continue as the Government implements its plans for delivering and evaluating the Strategy.

We are continuing our work to develop our understanding of NRPF and its impacts. This includes work with the Home Office to develop questions on NRPF for inclusion in the Family Resources survey 2026/2027, a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK. This will provide greater insight into how families with the NRPF conditions are living in the UK and will help to inform future policy-making.

There are important safeguards that currently exist within the system to ensure that vulnerable migrants and children are protected. For example, section 17 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a general duty on English local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of “children in need” in their area. Any support provided to a child by local authorities under such legislation is not dependent on the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). Local authorities can also provide support if there is a human rights issue, or there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution.

In England, migrant children subject to the NRPF conditions have access to a range of support to support disadvantaged children. This includes access to Free School meals (subject to certain eligibility thresholds), funding for schools to support disadvantaged children, 15 hours per week early years childcare entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds, 15 hours early years child care entitlement for 3- to 4-year-olds, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities; and local authority grants.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review no recourse to public funds conditions to reduce child poverty.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In developing the Child Poverty Strategy, the Ministerial Taskforce engaged extensively with families, charities and other organisations across the UK, including those making representations on behalf of children subject to no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This engagement will continue as the Government implements its plans for delivering and evaluating the Strategy.

We are continuing our work to develop our understanding of NRPF and its impacts. This includes work with the Home Office to develop questions on NRPF for inclusion in the Family Resources survey 2026/2027, a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK. This will provide greater insight into how families with the NRPF conditions are living in the UK and will help to inform future policy-making.

There are important safeguards that currently exist within the system to ensure that vulnerable migrants and children are protected. For example, section 17 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a general duty on English local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of “children in need” in their area. Any support provided to a child by local authorities under such legislation is not dependent on the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). Local authorities can also provide support if there is a human rights issue, or there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution.

In England, migrant children subject to the NRPF conditions have access to a range of support to support disadvantaged children. This includes access to Free School meals (subject to certain eligibility thresholds), funding for schools to support disadvantaged children, 15 hours per week early years childcare entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds, 15 hours early years child care entitlement for 3- to 4-year-olds, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities; and local authority grants.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number and proportion of children in (1) poverty, and (2) deep poverty, living in households subject to no recourse to public funds; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the Child Poverty Strategy on those numbers.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In developing the Child Poverty Strategy, the Ministerial Taskforce engaged extensively with families, charities and other organisations across the UK, including those making representations on behalf of children subject to no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This engagement will continue as the Government implements its plans for delivering and evaluating the Strategy.

We are continuing our work to develop our understanding of NRPF and its impacts. This includes work with the Home Office to develop questions on NRPF for inclusion in the Family Resources survey 2026/2027, a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK. This will provide greater insight into how families with the NRPF conditions are living in the UK and will help to inform future policy-making.

There are important safeguards that currently exist within the system to ensure that vulnerable migrants and children are protected. For example, section 17 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a general duty on English local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of “children in need” in their area. Any support provided to a child by local authorities under such legislation is not dependent on the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). Local authorities can also provide support if there is a human rights issue, or there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution.

In England, migrant children subject to the NRPF conditions have access to a range of support to support disadvantaged children. This includes access to Free School meals (subject to certain eligibility thresholds), funding for schools to support disadvantaged children, 15 hours per week early years childcare entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds, 15 hours early years child care entitlement for 3- to 4-year-olds, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities; and local authority grants.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms will be used to measure the progress on poverty reduction for children in no recourse to public funds households as part of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In developing the Child Poverty Strategy, the Ministerial Taskforce engaged extensively with families, charities and other organisations across the UK, including those making representations on behalf of children subject to no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This engagement will continue as the Government implements its plans for delivering and evaluating the Strategy.

We are continuing our work to develop our understanding of NRPF and its impacts. This includes work with the Home Office to develop questions on NRPF for inclusion in the Family Resources survey 2026/2027, a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK. This will provide greater insight into how families with the NRPF conditions are living in the UK and will help to inform future policy-making.

There are important safeguards that currently exist within the system to ensure that vulnerable migrants and children are protected. For example, section 17 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a general duty on English local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of “children in need” in their area. Any support provided to a child by local authorities under such legislation is not dependent on the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). Local authorities can also provide support if there is a human rights issue, or there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution.

In England, migrant children subject to the NRPF conditions have access to a range of support to support disadvantaged children. This includes access to Free School meals (subject to certain eligibility thresholds), funding for schools to support disadvantaged children, 15 hours per week early years childcare entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds, 15 hours early years child care entitlement for 3- to 4-year-olds, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities; and local authority grants.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they will use to evaluate their progress towards the targets set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, including (1) reducing the number of children in relative low income and increasing household incomes, (2) ending the placement of families in bed and breakfasts beyond the six-week limit, (3) increasing accessible childcare for parents on Universal Credit, and (4) establishing a notification system for when a child is placed in temporary accommodation.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy sets out how we will hold ourselves to account on delivering the impact we have promised through this Parliament and beyond as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

We are continuing our work across government, with devolved governments, local authorities, stakeholders and experts as part of the long-term evaluation.

Further details on our approach to monitoring and evaluation will follow in the baseline report in Summer this year, which will also set out the latest statistics and evidence. We will report on an annual basis thereafter to monitor and evaluate progress.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms are in place to ensure ministerial accountability to Parliament for progress on the reduction of child poverty.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy sets out how we will hold ourselves to account on delivering the impact we have promised through this Parliament and beyond as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

We will work across government, with devolved governments, local authorities, stakeholders and experts as part of our long-term evaluation. Further details on our approach to monitoring and evaluation will follow in a baseline report in Summer 2026, which will set out the latest statistics and evidence, with annual reporting thereafter to monitor and evaluate progress.

Government also has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics in the annual Households Below Average Income statistical publication.

The Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Education retain responsibility for Child Poverty across government and continue to work closely with their colleagues to deliver on the Child Poverty Strategy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the support systems in the Child Poverty Strategy are (1) accessible, (2) easy to navigate, and (3) sufficient for families with disabled children.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow.

A full summary equalities analysis was published alongside the Child Poverty Strategy and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-summary-equalities-analysis

We are also taking specific steps to support children with additional needs. We have committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and are investing over £200 million over three years to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and families from the earliest stages.

Our new SEND system will deliver a fully inclusive mainstream education, supported by £4bn investment. Children with special educational needs will access targeted and specialist support through a clear three-tier framework, with Individual Support Plans and stronger Education Health and Care Plans for complex needs. We will work with the sector and prioritise early intervention and cross-service collaboration to ensure better outcomes nationwide

The Strategy also includes measures to improve the experiences and health and education outcomes of children in temporary accommodation, including disabled children. This includes improving the quality and suitability of placements, £10.9 million in 2025/26 for 61 local authorities to increase access to support and services, and a new notification system so housing authorities can alert schools, health visitors and GPs when a child enters temporary accommodation, enabling timely support and reducing harmful impacts.

The publication of the strategy was just the first step on our journey to drive down child poverty over the next decade and beyond. We have always been clear that this will be a long-term strategy, and we will continue to consider families with disabled children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Child Poverty Strategy includes measures to ensure that disabled children receive prompt, consistent and high-quality education and health access to prevent long-term poverty.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow.

A full summary equalities analysis was published alongside the Child Poverty Strategy and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-summary-equalities-analysis

We are also taking specific steps to support children with additional needs. We have committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and are investing over £200 million over three years to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and families from the earliest stages.

Our new SEND system will deliver a fully inclusive mainstream education, supported by £4bn investment. Children with special educational needs will access targeted and specialist support through a clear three-tier framework, with Individual Support Plans and stronger Education Health and Care Plans for complex needs. We will work with the sector and prioritise early intervention and cross-service collaboration to ensure better outcomes nationwide

The Strategy also includes measures to improve the experiences and health and education outcomes of children in temporary accommodation, including disabled children. This includes improving the quality and suitability of placements, £10.9 million in 2025/26 for 61 local authorities to increase access to support and services, and a new notification system so housing authorities can alert schools, health visitors and GPs when a child enters temporary accommodation, enabling timely support and reducing harmful impacts.

The publication of the strategy was just the first step on our journey to drive down child poverty over the next decade and beyond. We have always been clear that this will be a long-term strategy, and we will continue to consider families with disabled children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Child Poverty Strategy includes targeted support for disabled children in temporary or inadequate housing.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow.

A full summary equalities analysis was published alongside the Child Poverty Strategy and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-summary-equalities-analysis

We are also taking specific steps to support children with additional needs. We have committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and are investing over £200 million over three years to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and families from the earliest stages.

Our new SEND system will deliver a fully inclusive mainstream education, supported by £4bn investment. Children with special educational needs will access targeted and specialist support through a clear three-tier framework, with Individual Support Plans and stronger Education Health and Care Plans for complex needs. We will work with the sector and prioritise early intervention and cross-service collaboration to ensure better outcomes nationwide

The Strategy also includes measures to improve the experiences and health and education outcomes of children in temporary accommodation, including disabled children. This includes improving the quality and suitability of placements, £10.9 million in 2025/26 for 61 local authorities to increase access to support and services, and a new notification system so housing authorities can alert schools, health visitors and GPs when a child enters temporary accommodation, enabling timely support and reducing harmful impacts.

The publication of the strategy was just the first step on our journey to drive down child poverty over the next decade and beyond. We have always been clear that this will be a long-term strategy, and we will continue to consider families with disabled children.