Children: Local Authority Care

Debate between Lord Nash and Baroness Hollis of Heigham

Monday 7th November 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

Yes, there is a very clear process for out-of-area placements. They have to be approved by a nominated officer and if the placement is a distant one, which means not in its local authority or a local authority adjoining, it has to be approved by the director of children’s services. Local authorities must consult with the authority in which children are placed and the independent reviewing officer—IRO—has a role as well. Ofsted will inspect local authorities for how well they are performing in this regard.

[Baroness Hollis of Heigham (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that children who are placed a longish way from home are more likely to run away to get home, and in the process they may be subjected to further abuse given their vulnerability on their travels home?

[Lord Nash]

I am not sure whether we have evidence of that, but I certainly agree that, intuitively, it seems likely that that is the case. We are using the innovation fund to see whether we can encourage local authorities to have a more strategic view of where they place children, to be more aware of their particular needs and to try to ensure that they have a more joined-up approach to sourcing suitable placements for them.

Grammar Schools

Debate between Lord Nash and Baroness Hollis of Heigham

Wednesday 7th September 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

As I say, we will look at all the considerations on both sides very carefully.

[Baroness Hollis of Heigham (Lab)]

My Lords, like many in your Lordships’ House I went to a grammar school. My two sons went to local comprehensive schools. Does the Minister not accept that for every grammar school there are consequentially three secondary modern schools—in other words, that comprehensive schools become secondary modern schools—so that one child’s social mobility is bought at the expense of the destruction of opportunity for three other children?

[Lord Nash]

We are keen that all our excellent schools, including grammar schools, help us to expand our school estates. We are committed to allowing all excellent schools to expand. There are many cases of grammar schools now sponsoring other schools. We are particularly interested in encouraging grammar schools to sponsor their feeder primary schools, as, for example, South-East Essex Academy Trust is doing with the Westcliff High School for Girls, an outstanding grammar school now sponsoring three primary schools, with one of which it has had the remarkable success of doubling its performance. In this way we hope that we can ensure that more pupils from less advantaged backgrounds will be able to achieve going to grammar schools.

Care Leavers: Life Chances

Debate between Lord Nash and Baroness Hollis of Heigham

Wednesday 29th June 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

The noble Lord will know that we have just debated this at length. We have had extensive discussions with the Home Office designed to make sure that we place the interests of those children first until they leave the country.

[Baroness Hollis of Heigham (Lab)]

My Lords, in the light of the Laming report, the Howard League report and the Standing Committee for Youth Justice report, which all draw attention to our inappropriate criminalisation of children in care compared to the rest of the world, what steps are the Government, whether the DfE or the MoJ, going to take to address this issue?

[Lord Nash]

Sir Martin Narey is conducting a report in relation to children’s homes, and I think he will address that. Charlie Taylor is also conducting a report. I think we need to wait for them.