Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will (a) ensure that the Staying Put programme is adequately (i) costed and (ii) funded and (b) bring forward a national minimum allowance for that programme to cover the cost of looking after a young person.

Since its introduction in May 2014, the Department for Education has provided over £90 million in funding to local authorities to implement Staying Put; and has committed to provide a further £23.77 million in 2019/20. Decisions on funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of the next Spending Review.

The government does not believe that introducing a national minimum allowance is the right way forward. Unlike children in foster care, young people in Staying Put arrangements are adults, and may be in work, or claiming benefits. These financial sources can be used to contribute to the cost of providing the Staying Put arrangement, in a similar way that young people who are still living at home with their parents may contribute to the costs of running the household.