Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received regarding the funding of children’s services from (1) fostering and adoption agencies, (2) local authorities, (3) private providers, (4) nurseries, and (5) parents.

The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This is due to the volume of representations over a significant period of time.

The government is listening to the views of the sector and service users, including about funding for children’s social care. The department meets regularly with sector representatives including local government, private providers and the voluntary sector. Discussions have included sector concerns around funding and demands on children’s services. In addition, the government is currently conducting a technical consultation as part of the Fair Funding Review of relative needs and resources. This review is seeking views on what factors drive local government spending, and how we account for this in a way that draws a more transparent link between local circumstances and local resources.

The department regularly receives correspondence from private childcare providers, nurseries and other early years settings on a wide variety of topics related to the early years, including our funding rates. Getting our funding rates right is key to the successful delivery of our childcare entitlements, and the department is happy to hear from providers and other organisations.

As a result of consultations on schools and high needs funding in 2017 we received over 25,000 responses from local authorities, schools and other education providers, parents and others. The results of that consultation were published in September 2017 and a copy is attached. Since then the department has continued to receive representations from local authorities, schools and others about the funding allocated for children’s education.