Children in Care: Education

(asked on 6th December 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding will be available to local authorities to extend virtual school head support to previously looked after children, as outlined in sections 4 to 7 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Agnew of Oulton
This question was answered on 20th December 2017

We initially assessed that the new burden associated with the new duty in section 3 would be £8 million per year nationally, once the new duty is fully implemented. We have since refined that initial assessment in light of consultations held with local council leaving care managers and new data published in September 2017, and are currently consulting the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services before agreeing it with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s new burdens team. We plan to publish the final new burdens assessment and confirm each local council’s funding allocation in the New Year.

The new burden associated with the support provided in sections 4 to 7 was estimated at between £30,000 and £50,000 per local council. The new burdens assessment explains that savings from reforms to adoption, including regionalisation of adoption, will offset this new burden. Average timeliness in adoption has improved by around six months since 2012-13, offering savings to local councils from the decreased cost of care. These can be reinvested to extend Virtual School Head support to previously looked after children. To date, we have launched six Regional Adoption Agencies.

Reticulating Splines