Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial sustainability of universities; and what measures they intend to take to ensure that institutions can maintain teaching and research excellence without reducing academic provision or workforce capacity.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department remains committed to creating a secure future for the higher education (HE) sector. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our commitment to placing the sector on a more sustainable footing, supporting providers to drive efficiency, strengthening financial resilience, and adopting more effective operating models. We increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in 2025/26 and are doing the same in 2026/27 and 2027/28.
HE providers are independent from government and are responsible for managing their finances. We encourage providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable business models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution.
The department continues to work closely with the Office for Students to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.
The International Education Strategy has confirmed our continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the long-term financial sustainability of universities, particularly in the light of rising operating costs, the declining real-terms value of tuition fees, and changes in international student recruitment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department remains committed to creating a secure future for the higher education (HE) sector. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our commitment to placing the sector on a more sustainable footing, supporting providers to drive efficiency, strengthening financial resilience, and adopting more effective operating models. We increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in 2025/26 and are doing the same in 2026/27 and 2027/28.
HE providers are independent from government and are responsible for managing their finances. We encourage providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable business models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution.
The department continues to work closely with the Office for Students to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.
The International Education Strategy has confirmed our continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between out-of-area placements for girls in care and the risk of exploitation, sexual abuse, or other forms of violence against women and girls.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.
While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.
For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.
The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure girls in care who have been moved far from their home communities receive consistent and regular oversight and support from social work professionals.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.
While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.
For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.
The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Become, Gone Too Far: How being moved far away puts care-experienced girls at risk, published in July 2026; and what assessment they have made of the risks posed by distant placements in the children's social care system to (1) children's enduring relationships, and (2) the safety of girls from exploitation and sexual abuse.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.
While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.
For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.
The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent children in care from being moved to areas that do not reflect their cultural, racial, linguistic, or religious identity or community.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.
While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.
For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.
The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children in care are supported to develop the skills, confidence, and security to develop and maintain healthy relationships.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.
While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.
For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.
The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of girls in care moved far from their communities in circumstances where it is not in their best interests.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.
While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.
For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.
The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their recent announcement to provide funding for Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority, what assessment they have made of the case for putting these new services in legislation to ensure that they are recognised as a key public service.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 7 July 2025, the government published ‘Giving every child the best start in life’. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services. The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026 to 2029 spending review period.
Best Start Family Hubs will bring together professionals from health, education, early years, and community services, prioritising delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support inclusion for children with additional needs.
We will also explore whether a more detailed outcomes framework under the Best Start in Life umbrella, drawing on the lessons of Every Child Matters, would improve join up among services locally.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their announcement that they will develop Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority by 2028, what assessment they have made of findings from previous hub programmes; and whether they will ensure that people will be able to access these services from birth up to the age of 19 (or 25 in the case of special education needs and disabilities) and that they will not be restricted to the youngest children.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 7 July 2025, the government published ‘Giving every child the best start in life’. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services. The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026 to 2029 spending review period.
Best Start Family Hubs will bring together professionals from health, education, early years, and community services, prioritising delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support inclusion for children with additional needs.
We will also explore whether a more detailed outcomes framework under the Best Start in Life umbrella, drawing on the lessons of Every Child Matters, would improve join up among services locally.