Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access for families to social care support before children enter the care system.

Families access a range of support before children enter the care system, including universal and early help support, and social care services. This is outlined in the statutory guidance, Working Together To Safeguard Children. The guidance is clear on the expectations placed on individuals who work to support children and families and how they need to work together in partnership with others to meet the child and family’s needs. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.

In each local area, the safeguarding partners should publish a threshold document, which sets out the local criteria for action to assist children and families. This should include the process for early help and the type and level of early help services to be provided, as well as the criteria and processes in place for families when they are referred to children’s social services.

The department takes robust action when an authority does not meet its requirements to provide support and protect all children and young people. Local authorities rated inadequate by Ofsted receive comprehensive support from the department. Those performing well are supported to share best practice.

We are clear that nothing is more important than children’s welfare, and those who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support as soon as a need is identified. We recognise the need to make significant change to the current system to improve the lives and outcomes of those supported by children’s social care. That is why we have launched a bold, broad and independently led review that is looking at the needs, experiences and outcomes of the children and families it supports and what is required to make a real difference to their lives. In doing so, the review will contribute to ambitious and deliverable reforms, taking into account the sustainability of local services and effective use of resources and considering how the social care system responds to the needs of all children who are referred. It will address major challenges, including inconsistencies in nationwide practices and outcomes.

The Review published its Case for Change in June 2021, setting out the key issues and inviting feedback from parties with an interest in the Review. The Case For Change: Your Feedback was published in October 2021 and the Review’s full report is due to be published this Spring.