Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend eligibility for the Adoption Support Fund to children being cared for under a Special Guardianship Order who do not have a previously looked after status.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Last year we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021 pending the outcome of the multi-year Spending Review in 2020. The announcement, attached, can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-funding-to-boost-adoption-support.
We will consider the scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of our planning for this Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the therapeutic interventions available through the Adoption Support Fund.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Last year we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021 pending the outcome of the multi-year Spending Review in 2020. The announcement, attached, can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-funding-to-boost-adoption-support.
We will consider the scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of our planning for this Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend eligibility for the Adoption Support Fund to adopted children who have returned to the care system under a section 20 care order.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Last year we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021 pending the outcome of the multi-year Spending Review in 2020. The announcement, attached, can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-funding-to-boost-adoption-support.
We will consider the scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of our planning for this Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why their Looked-after Children and Care leavers: EU Settlement Scheme Local Authorities and Social Care Trusts Guidance, published on 3 April, makes no reference to the legal aid available to unaccompanied and separated children in care through exceptional case funding.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office designed the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to be: free of charge; streamlined; and user-friendly. The majority of applicants apply with-out the need for advice from a lawyer on rights to enter or remain. Although legal aid is available, we did not anticipate the vast majority of applicants would need legal aid.
The Home Office has created and issued guidance about the EUSS to help local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts understand their responsibilities for supporting looked after children and care leavers and how to apply. Although the EUSS was designed to be as simple as possible, we have committed to working with applicants to ensure they obtain the status they need where required. The guidance is clear that where necessary, because of case complexity, or if there is any doubt about how to proceed, that the LA or HSCT may consider obtaining independent legal advice, in line with their own organisational processes and policies.
The guidance is intended to help local authorities and HSCT staff navigate information available on gov.uk by pulling together relevant information relating to looked after children and care leavers into one simple straight forward document. It is also the intention that this information pack will be updated and added to as and when required.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have issued to local authorities about the provision of support for children from the European Economic Area and Switzerland who are subject to interim care orders and are applying, or intend to apply, for status through the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office has issued guidance about the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to help local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts understand their responsibilities for supporting looked after children and care leavers. The EUSS has been designed to be as simple as possible, but we have committed to working with applicants, and those supporting them, to ensure they obtain the status they need where required.
The Home Office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they assess whether local authorities are identifying children in their care who need to address immigration issues; and how they intend to ensure that all European national children in care apply to the EU Settlement Scheme before the deadline for applications.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.
The Home Office has issued a series of letters to all Directors of Children Services making recommendations about the activity local authorities and their staff need to undertake to make applications to EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for looked after children and care leavers.
These recommendations have been followed up with a round of teleconferences aimed directly at local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts to find further information about EUSS and to share information with colleagues across the UK. The aim of the teleconferences is to monitor the level of take up to the scheme and to surface early any problems a local authority might be experiencing. These calls will continue through the lifetime of the EUSS.
The Home Office will shortly be surveying local authorities to benchmark current uptake of the scheme, and to baseline current cohorts of EEA citizen looked after children and care leavers. This survey will take place at set intervals throughout the lifecycle of the EUSS.
A New Burdens Assessment has also been produced in collaboration with key stakeholders representing local authorities and children’s social services to ensure they are funded to identify and support eligible EEA children and family members in care.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice on 23 April (244118), when they estimate they will introduce legislation to grant legal aid to unaccompanied and separated children; and whether updated guidance will be available to local authorities and social care trusts about the availability of legal aid for looked-after children going through the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
We have issued communications to Local Authority Directors of Children’s Services on the availability of exceptional case funding for separated migrant children’s immigration matters.
As part of Legal Support Action Plan, we are working to issue new guidance to improve understanding and awareness of the availability of exceptional case funding.
We have engaged with charity groups and stakeholders on this issue and have committed to lay legislation to bring non-asylum immigration matters into the scope of legal aid for separated migrant children. Subject to parliamentary time we intend to lay the amendment as soon as possible. Over the coming months we will continue to work with children’s charities and the Department of Education on further communications and guidance on this amendment.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have issued to local authorities about the process of applying for legal aid through exceptional case funding for unaccompanied and separated children for children from the European Economic Area and Switzerland in care.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
We have issued communications to Local Authority Directors of Children’s Services on the availability of exceptional case funding for separated migrant children’s immigration matters.
As part of Legal Support Action Plan, we are working to issue new guidance to improve understanding and awareness of the availability of exceptional case funding.
We have engaged with charity groups and stakeholders on this issue and have committed to lay legislation to bring non-asylum immigration matters into the scope of legal aid for separated migrant children. Subject to parliamentary time we intend to lay the amendment as soon as possible. Over the coming months we will continue to work with children’s charities and the Department of Education on further communications and guidance on this amendment.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that they make timely decisions following their review of the effects of charging of fees for children's nationality and immigration applications, regardless of any potential delay in the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under regular review, including those for children’s nationality and immigration applications, and changes to individual charges need to be made with a view to maintaining the overall purpose of the fees and charging legislation.
The Home Office included its response to the Chief Inspector’s recommendations around fee waivers, in its formal response which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/response-to-an-inspection-of-home-office-bics-policies-and-practices-relating-to-charging-and-fees
These recommendations have been partially accepted and the Home Office has recently reviewed and updated it fee waiver policy. In addition, the Home Office has invested in recruitment and continued process improvement and also engaged with Local Authorities on how better to identify and, where required, prioritise fee waiver applications from those who are most vulnerable. Current fee levels and policies remain under consideration at this point in time.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration An inspection of the policies and practices of the Home Office’s Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Systems relating to charging and fees, published on 4 April, what progress they have made in reviewing the level of fees for children's nationality and immigration applications and the fee waiver process; and when they expect to announce any decision on that matter.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under regular review, including those for children’s nationality and immigration applications, and changes to individual charges need to be made with a view to maintaining the overall purpose of the fees and charging legislation.
The Home Office included its response to the Chief Inspector’s recommendations around fee waivers, in its formal response which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/response-to-an-inspection-of-home-office-bics-policies-and-practices-relating-to-charging-and-fees
These recommendations have been partially accepted and the Home Office has recently reviewed and updated it fee waiver policy. In addition, the Home Office has invested in recruitment and continued process improvement and also engaged with Local Authorities on how better to identify and, where required, prioritise fee waiver applications from those who are most vulnerable. Current fee levels and policies remain under consideration at this point in time.