Claire Coutinho: When delivering the free early education entitlements, local authorities have a statutory duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure that their local areas have sufficient childcare provision for parents who require childcare to work, and a duty to secure free early years provision for eligible children. In undertaking these duties, local authorities must have regard to the department’s...
Claire Coutinho: The department takes the matter of any child going missing very seriously, and statutory guidance is in place which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-who-run- away-or-go-missing-from-home-or-care. This guidance outlines the responsibilities of local authorities working with partners, to prevent children going missing and to gather and share information and...
Claire Coutinho: The department is not currently planning to extend the existing entitlement hours. Improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare for working families is important for the department, and we are committed to encouraging families to use the government-funded support that they are entitled to. The department recognises that childcare can be a significant portion of a family budget,...
Claire Coutinho: Where a child cannot live with their birth family, local authorities have a legal duty to first consider family and friend carers. This may not always the best placement for the child, and the child may therefore be placed in the care of the local authority. Statutory guidance on family and friends care, issued to local authorities in England, makes clear that children and young people should...
Claire Coutinho: The department does not hold data for the breakdowns requested. The closest available information is published in the 2021 evaluation of the programme, published in March 2022, which provides analysis of local authority expenditure on the programme for the Easter and Summer holidays. The evaluation report indicates that 92% of the funding was spent on direct delivery of the programme...
Claire Coutinho: The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper consultation closed on 22 July 2022. The department is currently reviewing the feedback, and using this, along with continued engagement with the system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families. The department is committed to publishing a...
Claire Coutinho: The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. To support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties, the department is investing £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to help deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND...
Claire Coutinho: The department takes the matter of any child going missing very seriously. Statutory guidance is in place detailing the responsibilities of local authorities, working with partners, to prevent children going missing and to gather and share information and intelligence to reduce this risk. The guidance applies to all children going missing, whether this is from the family home or from...
Claire Coutinho: The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets out the standards that all early years providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to age five. The department has published an article promoting sensory food education on the ‘Help for early years providers’ online platform, which is a resource for childminders, nursery leaders and...
Claire Coutinho: The National Implementation Board was established to advise, support, and challenge the department on its delivery of children’s social care reform. It is made up of individuals with expertise in leading transformational change and direct experience of the children’s social care system. Its membership can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-social-...
Claire Coutinho: The Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey 2022 provides information on childcare fees, overall and by region, and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-sta tistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey. The survey suggests that the mean hourly fees were highest in London, followed by the South East and East of England. They were lowest in...
Claire Coutinho: The department committed to review the children’s social care system, so that children’s outcomes can be improved. Earlier this year, three reviews were published that provide an opportunity to reset children’s social care and make the urgent progress children need. The department is rapidly working up a detailed implementation strategy in response to the reviews and this will be...
Claire Coutinho: The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and that have impacted education and care settings and providers. The department continues to monitor the impact of the cost of living, including energy costs, and is working with other government departments to provide support. The department recognises that children’s homes and other social care...
Claire Coutinho: Foster parents deserve high quality support to provide safe and loving homes for children in their care. The department is working with stakeholders to understand the impact of financial pressures on foster carers, particularly in the context of the cost of living. The department is also in the process of looking at the annual uplift to the national minimum allowance (NMA), with the next...
Claire Coutinho: The department is committed to improving the availability and affordability of childcare which is why we have spent more than £20 billion over the last five years to support families with the cost of childcare. This means that thousands of parents are benefitting from government childcare support. In the 2021 Spending Review, the department announced additional funding of £160 million in...
Claire Coutinho: Supported internships are personalised study programmes, specifically designed to support young people aged 16-24 with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, to prepare for and transition into sustained, paid employment. In February 2022, the department announced that we are investing up to £18â¯millionâ¯overâ¯theâ¯next three yearsâ¯to build capacity in theâ¯Supported...
Claire Coutinho: Ofsted hold this data and have provided the department with the information that they have registered 6 multi-builds, all the same provider. Each can accommodate between 4 to 6 children. Ofsted do not hold occupancy figures.
Claire Coutinho: On 29 March 2022, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, which sets out plans to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those who need AP, within a fairer and more financially sustainable system. The Green Paper consultation closed on 22 July 2022. The department is...
Claire Coutinho: In the 2021 Spending Review, the department announced additional funding for early years of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year. The department has recently announced that we will invest an additional £20 million into early years funding in 2023/24, on top of the additional £180 million for 2023/24 announced...
Claire Coutinho: The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in looking after children through kinship arrangements, and are aware that many kinship carers make great sacrifices to fulfil this role. The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care made a set of bold and ambitious recommendations which seek to improve the financial and practical support kinship carers receive, and...