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.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help young people to avoid the dangers of gambling.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are committed to protecting young people from gambling harm. Since 2020, children and young people have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England.

We are introducing a statutory levy to be paid by gambling operators raising funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will play an important part in the Government’s wider aim to have better informed and protected young people when it comes to gambling-related harms.

Found: The Chair); Lord Blencathra; Lord Bradley; Lord Carter of Coles; Baroness Cass; Baroness Coffey; Lord Laming

Found: Chair) o Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent o Earl of Courtown o Lord Stoneham of Droxford o Lord Laming

Found: The Chair); Lord Blencathra; Lord Bradley; Lord Carter of Coles; Baroness Cass; Baroness Coffey; Lord Laming

Found: The Victoria Climbié inquiry: Report of an inquiry by Lord Laming (Cm 5730).

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