Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his department will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing guidance on achieving permanence for (a) looked after children and young people and (b) people with special educational needs and disabilities; and whether such permanence is defined as a core purpose of children’s social care.

The government recognises the importance of securing permanence for looked after children and young people. Planning for permanence is central to children and families social work.

The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 and the supporting statutory guidance set out clear expectations on planning for permanence to ensure that children have a secure, stable and loving family to support them through childhood and beyond and to give them a sense of security, continuity, commitment, identity and belonging. This includes those children identified as having special educational needs.