Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing childminders to claim childcare funding for the costs of caring for (a) their own child and (b) a related child they are parenting when they have been registered for over five years.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Childminders in England cannot claim funding from the department’s early education entitlements for related children in their care. Early years entitlements are only available where a registered early years provider provides 'childcare' for a child. The definition of 'childcare' is set out in the Childcare Act 2006 and excludes care provided for a child by a parent, a person with parental responsibility for the child, a stepparent, foster parent, or other certain relatives (for example a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother or sister, whether they are full blood or half blood, or by marriage or civil partnership).
An Education Select Committee report, published on 18 July 2023, recommended that the department should permit parents to claim funded hours for their child if they are cared for by a registered childminder who is also a member of their extended family (for example a grandparent, aunt or uncle, rather than a child’s parent or primary carer). The department’s current approach avoids creating an incentive for adults to register to become childminders and being paid to look after related children that they are already looking after on an informal basis, which could apply to extended family members as well as parents and carers. Currently, the department has no plans to change this position as allowing childminders to receive funding for related children in their care would not be an effective use of public money, and may have a negative impact on the viability of existing childcare businesses.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with Kent County Council on its proposal to reduce the eligible age for accessing its supported accommodation service for care leavers from 21 to 19.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Young people aged 16 or 17 who present as homeless should be supported in accordance with the following guidance, issued jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b0ed0b240f0b634b1266bc9/Provision_of_accommodation_for_16_and_17_year_olds_who_may_be_homeless.pdf.
Care leavers aged over 18 do not have an automatic entitlement to be accommodated by their local authority. However, care leavers aged 18-21 are judged to have a ‘priority need’, as set out in Chapter 22 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-22-care-leavers. This includes categories and definitions of people who have priority need and includes young people under 21 who were looked after between the ages of 16 and 18; and people aged 21 or over who are vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered.
In addition, the Children Act 1989 sets out responsibilities on local authorities to support care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independent living. This includes a requirement on local authorities to appoint a Personal Adviser to support the young person up to at least age 21, and up to age 25 if the young person requests it. The Act also includes a duty on local authorities to support care leavers to remain living with their former foster carers up to age 21 under a ‘staying put’ arrangement, if both the young person and carer want to continue living together. The department is providing £99 million to local authorities in this Spending Review period to support implementation of ‘staying put’.
The department is also providing £53 million in this Spending Review period to roll-out ‘staying close’, which provides an enhanced support package for young people leaving children’s homes, and £9.6 million in this Spending Review period to support around 60 local authorities with the highest numbers of care leavers at risk of rough sleeping, as part of the cross-government rough sleeping strategy.
The Department has not had discussions with Kent County Council on this issue.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her Department's policy that care leavers under the age of 21 who present as homeless should have their accommodation funded by the local authority responsible for social care.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Young people aged 16 or 17 who present as homeless should be supported in accordance with the following guidance, issued jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b0ed0b240f0b634b1266bc9/Provision_of_accommodation_for_16_and_17_year_olds_who_may_be_homeless.pdf.
Care leavers aged over 18 do not have an automatic entitlement to be accommodated by their local authority. However, care leavers aged 18-21 are judged to have a ‘priority need’, as set out in Chapter 22 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-22-care-leavers. This includes categories and definitions of people who have priority need and includes young people under 21 who were looked after between the ages of 16 and 18; and people aged 21 or over who are vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered.
In addition, the Children Act 1989 sets out responsibilities on local authorities to support care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independent living. This includes a requirement on local authorities to appoint a Personal Adviser to support the young person up to at least age 21, and up to age 25 if the young person requests it. The Act also includes a duty on local authorities to support care leavers to remain living with their former foster carers up to age 21 under a ‘staying put’ arrangement, if both the young person and carer want to continue living together. The department is providing £99 million to local authorities in this Spending Review period to support implementation of ‘staying put’.
The department is also providing £53 million in this Spending Review period to roll-out ‘staying close’, which provides an enhanced support package for young people leaving children’s homes, and £9.6 million in this Spending Review period to support around 60 local authorities with the highest numbers of care leavers at risk of rough sleeping, as part of the cross-government rough sleeping strategy.
The Department has not had discussions with Kent County Council on this issue.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued recent guidance on the provision by local authorities of accommodation to care leavers beyond the age of 18.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Young people aged 16 or 17 who present as homeless should be supported in accordance with the following guidance, issued jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b0ed0b240f0b634b1266bc9/Provision_of_accommodation_for_16_and_17_year_olds_who_may_be_homeless.pdf.
Care leavers aged over 18 do not have an automatic entitlement to be accommodated by their local authority. However, care leavers aged 18-21 are judged to have a ‘priority need’, as set out in Chapter 22 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-22-care-leavers. This includes categories and definitions of people who have priority need and includes young people under 21 who were looked after between the ages of 16 and 18; and people aged 21 or over who are vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered.
In addition, the Children Act 1989 sets out responsibilities on local authorities to support care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independent living. This includes a requirement on local authorities to appoint a Personal Adviser to support the young person up to at least age 21, and up to age 25 if the young person requests it. The Act also includes a duty on local authorities to support care leavers to remain living with their former foster carers up to age 21 under a ‘staying put’ arrangement, if both the young person and carer want to continue living together. The department is providing £99 million to local authorities in this Spending Review period to support implementation of ‘staying put’.
The department is also providing £53 million in this Spending Review period to roll-out ‘staying close’, which provides an enhanced support package for young people leaving children’s homes, and £9.6 million in this Spending Review period to support around 60 local authorities with the highest numbers of care leavers at risk of rough sleeping, as part of the cross-government rough sleeping strategy.
The Department has not had discussions with Kent County Council on this issue.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued recent guidance on the duties of responsible authorities to provide supported accommodation for care leavers under the age of 21.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Young people aged 16 or 17 who present as homeless should be supported in accordance with the following guidance, issued jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b0ed0b240f0b634b1266bc9/Provision_of_accommodation_for_16_and_17_year_olds_who_may_be_homeless.pdf.
Care leavers aged over 18 do not have an automatic entitlement to be accommodated by their local authority. However, care leavers aged 18-21 are judged to have a ‘priority need’, as set out in Chapter 22 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-22-care-leavers. This includes categories and definitions of people who have priority need and includes young people under 21 who were looked after between the ages of 16 and 18; and people aged 21 or over who are vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered.
In addition, the Children Act 1989 sets out responsibilities on local authorities to support care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independent living. This includes a requirement on local authorities to appoint a Personal Adviser to support the young person up to at least age 21, and up to age 25 if the young person requests it. The Act also includes a duty on local authorities to support care leavers to remain living with their former foster carers up to age 21 under a ‘staying put’ arrangement, if both the young person and carer want to continue living together. The department is providing £99 million to local authorities in this Spending Review period to support implementation of ‘staying put’.
The department is also providing £53 million in this Spending Review period to roll-out ‘staying close’, which provides an enhanced support package for young people leaving children’s homes, and £9.6 million in this Spending Review period to support around 60 local authorities with the highest numbers of care leavers at risk of rough sleeping, as part of the cross-government rough sleeping strategy.
The Department has not had discussions with Kent County Council on this issue.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of looked after children who have died whilst living in (a) regulated and (b) unregulated care placements in the last 10 years.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Every death of a child or young person is a tragedy, and the following information is sensitive in nature. Figures for the number of deaths of children looked after in regulated and unregulated accommodation by age in the last ten years are shown below.
Number of deaths of children looked after[1] whilst living in regulated or unregulated[2],[3] accommodation by age group[4], for the ten-year period 1 April 2012 - 31 March 2022[5]
Coverage: England
Age group | Regulated Accommodation | Unregulated Accommodation |
Under 1 year | 100 | 0 |
1 to 4 years | 70 | 0 |
5 to 9 years | 40 | 0 |
10 to 15 years | 110 | 0 |
16 years and over | 80 | 50 |
Total | 390 | 50 |
|
| Source: Children looked after data return (SSDA903) |
[1] Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.
[2] Regulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Foster placements, Secure Children’s Homes, Children’s Homes subject to Children’s Homes Regulations, residential care home, National Health Service (NHS)/health trust or other establishment providing medical or nursing care, Young Offender Institution (YOI), and all residential schools. Unregulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Independent living or placements in semi-independent accommodation not subject to children’s home regulations.
[3] Excludes the following placement types which do not fall into either the regulated or unregulated category: placed for adoption, placed with own parent(s) or other person(s) with parental responsibility, residential employment, family centre or mother and baby unit, other placement.
[4] Age is as at the date the episode of care ceased.
[5] Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add up due to rounding.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the ages of looked after children who have died whilst living in (a) regulated and (b) unregulated care placements in the last 10 years.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Every death of a child or young person is a tragedy, and the following information is sensitive in nature. Figures for the number of deaths of children looked after in regulated and unregulated accommodation by age in the last ten years are shown below.
Number of deaths of children looked after[1] whilst living in regulated or unregulated[2],[3] accommodation by age group[4], for the ten-year period 1 April 2012 - 31 March 2022[5]
Coverage: England
Age group | Regulated Accommodation | Unregulated Accommodation |
Under 1 year | 100 | 0 |
1 to 4 years | 70 | 0 |
5 to 9 years | 40 | 0 |
10 to 15 years | 110 | 0 |
16 years and over | 80 | 50 |
Total | 390 | 50 |
|
| Source: Children looked after data return (SSDA903) |
[1] Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.
[2] Regulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Foster placements, Secure Children’s Homes, Children’s Homes subject to Children’s Homes Regulations, residential care home, National Health Service (NHS)/health trust or other establishment providing medical or nursing care, Young Offender Institution (YOI), and all residential schools. Unregulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Independent living or placements in semi-independent accommodation not subject to children’s home regulations.
[3] Excludes the following placement types which do not fall into either the regulated or unregulated category: placed for adoption, placed with own parent(s) or other person(s) with parental responsibility, residential employment, family centre or mother and baby unit, other placement.
[4] Age is as at the date the episode of care ceased.
[5] Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add up due to rounding.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the capacity of the regulated accommodation sector for child social care placements.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
While the statutory responsibility for ensuring sufficient places for looked after children sits with local authorities, the department understands the current challenges in the looked after children placement market. Both the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and the Competition and Markets Authority’s Children’s Social Care Market Study made recommendations around the commissioning and sufficiency of care placements. In the Stable Homes, Built on Love strategy, we set out our response to these reports and our plans to reform children’s social care to ensure that there are enough of the right homes in the right places for children who need them.
To support local authorities to meet their statutory duty in ensuring there is sufficient provision for children in their care, the department has announced £259 million capital funding to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open children’s homes that provide high quality and safe homes for some of our most vulnerable children and young people across England.
The department is investing £27 million this Spending Review to deliver a fostering recruitment and retention programme to make foster care even more readily available for more children. This will boost approvals of foster carers in areas of specific shortage, such as sibling groups, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, teenagers, mother and baby placements and children who have suffered complex trauma.
We have also improved the offer of support, raising the national minimum allowance for foster carers by 12.43% to reflect the increasing costs of caring for a child and increasing the amount of income tax relief available to foster carers up to £18,140, from £10,000.
We are also developing two Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) pathfinders, each pathfinder will also receive up to £5 million in capital funding to develop new provision. These pathfinders will trial an approach to make RCCs work within the current legal framework ahead of bringing forward legislation when parliamentary time allows. In the long term, RCCs will plan, commission and deliver children’s social care placements. Through operating on a larger scale and developing specialist capabilities, the RCCs will be able to develop a wide range of places to better meet children’s needs. This, in turn, should lead to improved placement stability and fewer out of area placements.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide senior leaders in the NHS with Continuous Professional Development.
Answered by Will Quince
At an operational level, National Health Service organisations are responsible for supporting the personal and professional development of the staff they employ.
We fully recognise the importance of strong and effective leadership across the NHS and the impact this can have on patient care and organisational culture. In June 2022, Leadership for a collaborative and inclusive future, a review led by General Sir Gordon Messenger was published. The review made seven recommendations to strengthen leadership and management across health and social care.
The recommendations, which were accepted by the Government and are being taken forward by NHS England, will foster and replicate the best examples of leadership through improved training, career development and talent management, and through embedding inclusive cultures and behaviours within health and care.
Recommendation 3 sets out the need for consistent management standards that will be delivered through accredited training and to include a single set of unified, core leadership and management standards for managers, with training and development bundles to meet these standards.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is providing additional financial support to local authorities in England to support foster children and parents with the cost of living.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Fostering Services National Minimum Standards, issued by the Secretary of State under the Care Standards Act 2000, set out the expectation that fostering service providers cover the full cost of caring for each child placed with a foster carer. This should include paying at least the national minimum allowance (NMA), plus any agreed expenses to cover the full cost of caring for each child placed with them (Standard 28). The department expects fostering service providers to review their rates each year and to set out a clear policy on what their foster carers can expect. The Fostering Services National Minimum Standards can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf.
This year the department has raised the NMA for foster carers by an above inflation increase of 12.43%, to reflect the increasing costs of caring for a child.
Foster carers also receive Qualifying Care Relief that is made up of tax exemption on the first £10,000 shared equally among any foster carers in the same household and tax relief for every week a child is in their care. This year, the department has increased the amount of income tax relief available to foster carers up to £18,140, from £10,000.