Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase out-of-hours support for foster carers (a) in Coventry South constituency and (b) nationally; and if she will make a statement.

All local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure that foster carers receive the support and supervision they need in order to care for the children who are placed with them. The National Minimum Standards for fostering services are clear that all fostering services should have an effective out-of-hours advice and support service and should ensure that foster carers are aware of the nature and level of support available to them.

We are undertaking a national fostering stocktake to better understand the current provision, what works well and what changes can be made to bring about sustained improvement to the foster care system. This will include reviewing the support foster carers receive.