Sep. 12 2024
Source Page: School uniform and clothing guidance: Information for Parents and CarersFound: School uniform and clothing guidance: Information for Parents and Carers
Dec. 14 2009
Source Page: I. The children's plan two years ona progress report. 72p.Found: government needs to do more to back parents and families; ˜all children have the potential to succeed
Oct. 20 2011
Source Page: Educating health visitors for a transformed service. 14 p.Found: to assist parents and families to manage problems and difficulties as they arise, for example: relationship
Aug. 14 2024
Source Page: Early Learning and Childcare Expansion to 1140 hours: Interim Evaluation ReportFound: Early Learning and Childcare Expansion to 1140 hours: Interim Evaluation Report
Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Lothian)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to help with the delivery of the school clothing grant in the next financial year, including any measures that it is taking to increase the uptake of the grant among those who are eligible, and how much it is spending on any such measures.
Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
The Scottish Government has worked with partners to develop national guidance on school uniform and clothing in Scotland. This is expected to be published in autumn 2024. The guidance will support schools and education authorities to develop and implement affordable and sustainable uniform and clothing policies that recognise the individual needs, circumstances and identities of all pupils and reduce costs of families.
The guidance will encourage schools to regularly and actively promote the availability of the school clothing grant among pupils and their families, and offer appropriate support to apply for the school clothing grant wherever it is necessary to do so.
In addition to the guidance, we have developed a supporting resource for parents and carers. This will also be published in the autumn. The resource will highlight the key messages from the guidance and signpost families to sources of support, including information about the school clothing grant.
We are working with partners, including organisations who support parents and carers, to ensure that these resources are widely disseminated.
We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore further opportunities to highlight the availability of the school clothing grant to families to ensure that those who are eligible can access this vital support.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on engaging with parents of children of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age in the event that there is persistent absence or school refusal.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The department has a comprehensive strategy to support schools, trusts, and local authorities to tackle school absence, and is supporting schools to engage effectively with parents.
The department’s ‘working together to improve school attendance’ guidance for schools, trusts, and local authorities, which will become statutory in autumn 2024, is clear that engaging with parents and families is central to taking a ‘support first’ approach. The guidance outlines how schools should build strong relationships and work jointly with families, listening to and understanding barriers to attendance and working in partnership with families to remove them. The guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.
To support schools and local authorities to engage parents, the department has:
Additionally, as part of the department’s national communication campaign to parents on the importance of school attendance, it has provided schools and local authorities with resources to amplify the campaign and support their communication with parents, which can be found here: https://dfegovukassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/Attendance%20campaign/Attendance%20campaign%20commuications%20toolkit%20for%20schools.pdf, and here: https://dfegovukassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/Attendance%20campaign/Attendance%20communications%20toolkit%20for%20local%20authority%20attendance%20teams%20and%20other%20stakeholders.pdf.
Found: CPG Children and Young People Minutes 3 May 22
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of access to 15 hours of government-funded childcare support by (a) single and (b) disabled parent families.
Answered by David Johnston
Working parent entitlements are aimed at supporting parents to get back into work, or to work more hours if they wish to. This is available to both two parent families and single parent families who meet the eligibility criteria.
The department is expanding the free childcare offer from September 2025 to enable eligible working parents in England to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from the term after their child turns 9 months old to when they start school.
Since April 2024, eligible working parents of two year olds have been able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year from the term after the child’s second birthday. Over 210,000 two year olds are now confirmed to have places for 15 hours a week of free childcare, as part of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England. Applications are now open for the September phase of the expansion, which will see the offer extended to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months.
The income eligibility criteria are applied on a per parent basis, so working parents who individually earn more than £9,518 but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year will be eligible. For families with two parents, both must be working to meet the criteria, unless one is receiving certain benefits such as carers allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Single parents in receipt of specified benefits will also need to be working and meet the income requirements in order to be eligible for the working parent entitlement.
Parents who claim Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment for themselves or their child may be eligible for this entitlement, if they are working and meet the income requirement. More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working.
However, parents who are already receiving some additional forms of government support can receive 15 hours of funded early education, including childcare, for two year olds. This is separate from the new entitlement for working parents and is available to parents whose child is entitled to Disability Living Allowance. All parents regardless of employment status or income levels are eligible for the universal 15 hours for three and four year olds.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase access to 15 hours of childcare support for (a) single and (b) disabled parent families.
Answered by David Johnston
Working parent entitlements are aimed at supporting parents to get back into work, or to work more hours if they wish to. This is available to both two parent families and single parent families who meet the eligibility criteria.
The department is expanding the free childcare offer from September 2025 to enable eligible working parents in England to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from the term after their child turns 9 months old to when they start school.
Since April 2024, eligible working parents of two year olds have been able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year from the term after the child’s second birthday. Over 210,000 two year olds are now confirmed to have places for 15 hours a week of free childcare, as part of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England. Applications are now open for the September phase of the expansion, which will see the offer extended to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months.
The income eligibility criteria are applied on a per parent basis, so working parents who individually earn more than £9,518 but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year will be eligible. For families with two parents, both must be working to meet the criteria, unless one is receiving certain benefits such as carers allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Single parents in receipt of specified benefits will also need to be working and meet the income requirements in order to be eligible for the working parent entitlement.
Parents who claim Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment for themselves or their child may be eligible for this entitlement, if they are working and meet the income requirement. More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working.
However, parents who are already receiving some additional forms of government support can receive 15 hours of funded early education, including childcare, for two year olds. This is separate from the new entitlement for working parents and is available to parents whose child is entitled to Disability Living Allowance. All parents regardless of employment status or income levels are eligible for the universal 15 hours for three and four year olds.
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for programmes aimed at strengthening parenting skills and improving parent-child relationships.
Answered by Don-Innes, Natalie - Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
Supporting parents is key to improving outcomes for children and young people. We want to build the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents, so they can be and do the best they can for their children. Since 2010 the Scottish Government has funded the Scottish Book Trust’s Bookbug Programme, supported with £1.8 million in funding in 2024-25 the programme lays the foundations of early literacy, enhances attachment and promotes emotional intelligence as well as good communication and listening skills. To further support the promotion of parent-child relationships in 2024-25 we are also funding the PlayTalkRead and Pathways through Play programme. Supported with £645,000 funding, the programme is delivered by Smart Play Network across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland. The programme promotes the importance of playing, talking and reading with children from birth to four years old and supports targeted early speech and language development through play.The Scottish Government has worked with NHS Education for Scotland on the Psychology of Parenting Project (PoPP) which aims to increase the availability of training in, and support the effective implementation of, evidence-based early intervention and prevention programmes for improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and families. This involves working collaboratively with Community Planning Partnerships to support implementation.Additionally, the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Third Sector Fund provides funding of up to £1m per annum to third sector organisations supporting perinatal and infant mental health. This includes projects and services which support parent-infant relationships.The Scottish Government is also providing £18 million funding in 2024-25 through our Children, Young People, Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) and Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learners (CYPFAL) third sector funds to support children, families and communities.