Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the expertise within schools and wider education services to support adopted and kinship children who have experienced early adversity, trauma, abuse, neglect or loss; and what steps she is taking to strengthen that expertise.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s report, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, sets out plans for an inclusive, high-standard education system in England.
Virtual School Heads (VSHs) promote the educational achievement of previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act extends this role to eligible children in kinship care.
Schools must appoint a designated teacher for previously looked-after children, who attract £2,690 annually in Pupil Premium Plus. We are updating statutory guidance for VSHs and designated teachers, and schools can now record children in kinship care through the school census.
The department is considering responses received from ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, which consulted on support at key life stages and integration of social care, health and education. The department is also piloting support for children entering secondary school and Families First Partnership multi-disciplinary teams will help families receive support from the right professionals at the right time.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve coordination between schools, health and mental health services, local authorities and adoption and kinship services so that children and families receive coordinated support when their needs cross service boundaries.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s report, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, sets out plans for an inclusive, high-standard education system in England.
Virtual School Heads (VSHs) promote the educational achievement of previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act extends this role to eligible children in kinship care.
Schools must appoint a designated teacher for previously looked-after children, who attract £2,690 annually in Pupil Premium Plus. We are updating statutory guidance for VSHs and designated teachers, and schools can now record children in kinship care through the school census.
The department is considering responses received from ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, which consulted on support at key life stages and integration of social care, health and education. The department is also piloting support for children entering secondary school and Families First Partnership multi-disciplinary teams will help families receive support from the right professionals at the right time.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of Estyn's recent report in Wales, which found that adopted, previously looked-after and kinship children are less consistently identified and supported in education than children who are currently looked after.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s report, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, sets out plans for an inclusive, high-standard education system in England.
Virtual School Heads (VSHs) promote the educational achievement of previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act extends this role to eligible children in kinship care.
Schools must appoint a designated teacher for previously looked-after children, who attract £2,690 annually in Pupil Premium Plus. We are updating statutory guidance for VSHs and designated teachers, and schools can now record children in kinship care through the school census.
The department is considering responses received from ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, which consulted on support at key life stages and integration of social care, health and education. The department is also piloting support for children entering secondary school and Families First Partnership multi-disciplinary teams will help families receive support from the right professionals at the right time.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of whether adopted and kinship children receive timely support when difficulties emerge at key educational transition points, including starting school, moving to secondary school and entering further education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s report, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, sets out plans for an inclusive, high-standard education system in England.
Virtual School Heads (VSHs) promote the educational achievement of previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act extends this role to eligible children in kinship care.
Schools must appoint a designated teacher for previously looked-after children, who attract £2,690 annually in Pupil Premium Plus. We are updating statutory guidance for VSHs and designated teachers, and schools can now record children in kinship care through the school census.
The department is considering responses received from ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, which consulted on support at key life stages and integration of social care, health and education. The department is also piloting support for children entering secondary school and Families First Partnership multi-disciplinary teams will help families receive support from the right professionals at the right time.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the future status, governance, and hosting of the Specialised Rheumatology Clinical Reference Group following the restructuring and integration of NHS England functions.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with the identical questions received on 21 October from the Hon. Member for Harrow East, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 36778.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has for the future role, remit, and reporting structure of the National Specialty Lead for Rheumatology following the abolition of NHS England and the integration of its functions into her Department; and what steps she is taking to ensure that dedicated national clinical leadership is retained to guide policy, clinical standards, and specialist care networks for the more than 170,000 people living with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 36778.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the future status, governance, and hosting of the Specialised Rheumatology Clinical Reference Group following the restructuring and integration of NHS England functions.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 36778.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Protecting What Matters action plan, how the proposed cross-governmental integration strategy will support people seeking protection and refugees.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is clear that a new approach to integration is required to effectively integrate new arrivals and existing communities.
In Protecting What Matters, we outlined the steps government is taking to implement a new approach to integration based on values, including:
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the barriers faced by small and medium-sized employer-led training providers in accessing public funding for engineering skills provision.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As the minimum contract values and financial eligibility requirements in Adult Skills Funding competitions were set by DfE colleagues prior to the Machinery of Government transfer in April 2026, this is a joint response from DfE and DWP.
Access to Adult Skills Funding competitions for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) has been a key consideration in the commercial strategy for all current provider contracts in the Adult Skills area.
From 2022-25, DfE had an SME Action Plan in place to maximise opportunities for SMEs and all procurements had to give due consideration to the Action Plan prior to going out to market.
The following were put into place:
Increasing access to DWP contracts for SMEs where appropriate remains a key part of the government and DWP’s commercial strategies and will be duly considered as part of the commercial strategy for any future centrally contracted competitions in the Adult Skills environment, to continue the good work above of DfE colleagues.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of minimum contract values and financial eligibility requirements in adult skills funding competitions on access to funding for small and medium-sized training providers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As the minimum contract values and financial eligibility requirements in Adult Skills Funding competitions were set by DfE colleagues prior to the Machinery of Government transfer in April 2026, this is a joint response from DfE and DWP.
Access to Adult Skills Funding competitions for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) has been a key consideration in the commercial strategy for all current provider contracts in the Adult Skills area.
From 2022-25, DfE had an SME Action Plan in place to maximise opportunities for SMEs and all procurements had to give due consideration to the Action Plan prior to going out to market.
The following were put into place:
Increasing access to DWP contracts for SMEs where appropriate remains a key part of the government and DWP’s commercial strategies and will be duly considered as part of the commercial strategy for any future centrally contracted competitions in the Adult Skills environment, to continue the good work above of DfE colleagues.