Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the open tender number 142495 on Tenders Electronic Daily which was submitted by his Department to train 700 to 900 social workers is related to the Frontline programme; and if he will make a statement.

The published Prior Information Notice is to notify the market of the potential opportunity to bid for a successor contract to the current Frontline programme. It is not a tender notice to mark the start of a procurement.

We are currently considering options for continuity of both of the fast-track social work education programmes operated by the Department for Education: Step Up and Frontline. Each of these programmes makes a valuable contribution to bringing high performing, high potential individuals into the profession.

The government shall be taking a decision as to next steps in the process in due course.