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Vicky Ford: The government continues to support families with their childcare costs. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 25 November a further £44 million investment in 2021-22. We can now also confirm that in 2021-22 we will increase the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 8p an hour for the 2 year old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 6p...
Vicky Ford: For a child taking up the universal 15 hours entitlement, the costs to the government are as follows:in Coventry local authority for 2020-21: £2,565 a year (or £4.50 an hour);in the West Midlands for 2020-21: average £2,582 a year (or £4.53 an hour); andin England for 2020-21: average £2,764 a year (or £4.85 an hour). Early years funding rates from the introduction of the early years...
Vicky Ford: Data from Ofsted, shows that the number of providers on the early years register has remained broadly stable since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak until the end of November 2020 and that current parental demand for childcare places is being met by the market. The government recognises the importance of supporting the early years sector financially during the COVID-19 outbreak and...
Vicky Ford: ...it easier for parents to feel confident that they are preparing healthy balanced, lunches for their children. Further information such as recipes, tips and swap suggestions that are practical and affordable for parents are available on the Change4Life website at: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life-beta/healthier-lunchboxes.
Vicky Ford: The Department for Education does not collect this data. This data is currently captured by Ofsted. Ofsted have seen an increase in enquires to independent fostering agencies (IFA) between the financial year 2015-2019, but in the same period enquiries have decreased for local authorities. At the end of March 2020, we have seen an increase in applications compared to 2015. However, application...
Vicky Ford: The government has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated, and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, and have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies and monitoring approaches to best suit their environment. The department...
Vicky Ford: I congratulate the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ruth Cadbury) on securing a debate on such an important topic. We are absolutely committed to providing world-class education, training and care for everyone, and no one—no young person—should be held back from reaching their potential because of their gender or background. The onset of menstruation can be confusing and even...
Fiona Bruce: The excellent Children’s Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford), has spoken of a “family-shaped gap at the heart of national policy”, so will the Leader of the House rejoice with me at the good news that the Government are to fund a new national centre for family hubs to support local communities across the country to set up a family hub locally? Will he...
Vicky Ford: The information requested is not held centrally by the department.
Vicky Ford: The guidance entitled ‘Local restriction tiers: what you need to know’ sets out the local restriction tier system in place from Wednesday 2 December and includes what can and cannot be done in each tier. There are exemptions that apply to all tiers, including for places of worship, that allow childcare, education, or training (meaning education and training provided as part of a formal...
Vicky Ford: Legislation is clear about the statutory duties placed on local authorities in caring for unaccompanied children and no dispensation has been given to Kent County Council regarding these duties. Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need in their area and to accommodate them if they meet the relevant...
...Andrew Imran Ahmad Khan (Wakefield) (Con) Stuart Andrew Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con) Stuart Andrew Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green) (Lab) Chris Elmore Lucy Allan (Telford) (Con) Mark Spencer Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) (Lab) Chris Elmore Mike Amesbury (Weaver Vale) (Lab) Chris Elmore Sir David Amess (Southend West) (Con) Stuart Andrew Fleur Anderson...
...Ali Tahir Ali Rosena Allin-Khan Mike Amesbury Fleur Anderson Tonia Antoniazzi Jon Ashworth Hannah Bardell Paula Barker Margaret Beckett Apsana Begum Hilary Benn Clive Betts Mhairi Black Ian Blackford Kirsty Blackman Olivia Blake Paul Blomfield Steven Bonnar Tracy Brabin Ben Bradshaw Kevin Brennan Deidre Brock Alan Brown Lyn Brown Nick Brown Chris Bryant Karen Buck Richard Burgon Dawn...
...Atkins Gareth Bacon Richard Bacon Kemi Badenoch Shaun Bailey Siobhan Baillie Duncan Baker Steven Baker Harriett Baldwin Steve Barclay John Baron Simon Baynes Aaron Bell Scott Benton Paul Beresford Jake Berry Saqib Bhatti Bob Blackman Crispin Blunt Peter Bone Peter Bottomley Andrew Bowie Ben Bradley Karen Bradley Suella Braverman Jack Brereton Andrew Bridgen Steve Brine Paul Bristow Sara...
Vicky Ford: In 2016, the government announced investments in several children’s health initiatives alongside the introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, including doubling the primary sports premium to £320 million a year from September 2017, and introducing the National Schools Breakfast Programme from March 2018. The Spending Review 2020 has now concluded and confirmed the Department for...
Vicky Ford: Children are at the centre of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, with person-centred planning and co-production a key part of the Children and Families Act (2014). Local authorities in England are already under a duty to present the child’s views to the tribunal. The Children and Families Act (2014) included powers to pilot a right for children under 16 to bring...
Vicky Ford: One-to-one tuition for children that is not provided by a school, such as a private tutor working in a residential setting (i.e. their own home, or their pupils’ homes), would typically be considered to be an out-of-school setting. As of 2 December 2020, out-of-school settings, including providers of one-on-one tuition, have been able to open for both indoor and outdoor provision in all...
Vicky Ford: The government recognises that school holidays can be difficult for some families, with children at risk of missing out on healthy meals, activities, and learning opportunities. Children should not go hungry and our ambitious plans will mean disadvantaged children have access to healthy food and enriching activities during the main holiday periods in which children can have fun experiences,...
Vicky Ford: The government announced that it will review the care system in its 2019 manifesto. This review will be broad, bold and independently led, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people. The urgent local and national response to the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed the...
Vicky Ford: The review of children’s social care will be broad and bold and take a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people. The urgent local and national response to COVID-19 has delayed launching the review, but we are making preparations to launch as soon as possible and will set...