Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) reduce the potential impact of a parent's imprisonment on the educational attainment of their child and (b) ensure that children with a parent in prison are being considered in school safeguarding assessments.

The department has a key mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, which is why we are committed to identifying children affected by parental imprisonment and ensuring they get the community support they need to thrive.

The department also recognises that support should be based on the individual needs of the child, not solely on having a parent in prison. That is why our approach is focussed on equipping early years settings, schools and local authorities to respond to children’s needs in a trauma-informed way, with compassionate support from trained professionals.

Improving attendance in educational settings, to enable all children to achieve and thrive, is a top priority for the government. We are providing schools and teachers with world-leading data tools, empowering them to identify quickly children who are at risk of non-attendance and put the right support in place.

The ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance is clear that anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care. Children’s circumstances vary considerably, and local agencies are best placed to determine what support is needed.