Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report by Barnardo’s and the Co-op, Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures: unlocking the potential of food partnerships with young people, which found that only 13 per cent of councils involve young people in the strategic design and delivery of local food partnerships, what plans they have to work with local authorities to improve young peoples' involvement in these processes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
As we develop the food strategy, we will be considering how we can better support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our health, sustainability and resilience outcomes. Recognising the interconnectedness and interdependence of food systems across the UK, we are working closely with the devolved governments, including Wales, to ensure alignment with their own strategies. In addition we are working with the Local Government Association to better understand the role of local authorities in supporting resilient local food systems.
Departments across the Government have worked together to agree the outcomes required to deliver food system change. This has been supported by advice from across the food system, academia, civil society, and citizens, and including Sustainable Food Places, Barnardo’s and Co-op.
The Department will continue to work with partners and seek views from across the whole food system. This includes seeking opportunities to capture the views of and listen to people of all ages including the young, the old and those with disabilities whose voices are not traditionally heard, as we develop our approach and plot a route to deliver the outcomes. Everyone, including young people, will benefit from a Good Food Cycle, and a number of outcomes in our food strategy are particularly important for young people, touching on children's health, food education, and jobs and skills in the food sector.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent report by Barnardo’s and the Co-op, Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures: unlocking the potential of food partnerships with young people, what plans they have to engage with those organisations and others, including the Local Government Association, Sustainable Food Places, and Feeding Britain, to promote best practice on food partnerships.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
As we develop the food strategy, we will be considering how we can better support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our health, sustainability and resilience outcomes. Recognising the interconnectedness and interdependence of food systems across the UK, we are working closely with the devolved governments, including Wales, to ensure alignment with their own strategies. In addition we are working with the Local Government Association to better understand the role of local authorities in supporting resilient local food systems.
Departments across the Government have worked together to agree the outcomes required to deliver food system change. This has been supported by advice from across the food system, academia, civil society, and citizens, and including Sustainable Food Places, Barnardo’s and Co-op.
The Department will continue to work with partners and seek views from across the whole food system. This includes seeking opportunities to capture the views of and listen to people of all ages including the young, the old and those with disabilities whose voices are not traditionally heard, as we develop our approach and plot a route to deliver the outcomes. Everyone, including young people, will benefit from a Good Food Cycle, and a number of outcomes in our food strategy are particularly important for young people, touching on children's health, food education, and jobs and skills in the food sector.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review how food partnership funding models, such as the local food partnership model in Wales, could be implemented across the UK in a cost-effective manner.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
As we develop the food strategy, we will be considering how we can better support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our health, sustainability and resilience outcomes. Recognising the interconnectedness and interdependence of food systems across the UK, we are working closely with the devolved governments, including Wales, to ensure alignment with their own strategies. In addition we are working with the Local Government Association to better understand the role of local authorities in supporting resilient local food systems.
Departments across the Government have worked together to agree the outcomes required to deliver food system change. This has been supported by advice from across the food system, academia, civil society, and citizens, and including Sustainable Food Places, Barnardo’s and Co-op.
The Department will continue to work with partners and seek views from across the whole food system. This includes seeking opportunities to capture the views of and listen to people of all ages including the young, the old and those with disabilities whose voices are not traditionally heard, as we develop our approach and plot a route to deliver the outcomes. Everyone, including young people, will benefit from a Good Food Cycle, and a number of outcomes in our food strategy are particularly important for young people, touching on children's health, food education, and jobs and skills in the food sector.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to engage with the Local Government Association and other stakeholders to support the implementation of food partnerships in every local area by 2030.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
As we develop the food strategy, we will be considering how we can better support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our health, sustainability and resilience outcomes. Recognising the interconnectedness and interdependence of food systems across the UK, we are working closely with the devolved governments, including Wales, to ensure alignment with their own strategies. In addition we are working with the Local Government Association to better understand the role of local authorities in supporting resilient local food systems.
Departments across the Government have worked together to agree the outcomes required to deliver food system change. This has been supported by advice from across the food system, academia, civil society, and citizens, and including Sustainable Food Places, Barnardo’s and Co-op.
The Department will continue to work with partners and seek views from across the whole food system. This includes seeking opportunities to capture the views of and listen to people of all ages including the young, the old and those with disabilities whose voices are not traditionally heard, as we develop our approach and plot a route to deliver the outcomes. Everyone, including young people, will benefit from a Good Food Cycle, and a number of outcomes in our food strategy are particularly important for young people, touching on children's health, food education, and jobs and skills in the food sector.
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 (Minister for Women and Equalities)
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 (Minister for Women and Equalities)
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 recent announcement to introduce a Best Start Family Hub in every local authority, whether they will develop an outcomes framework for these services in order to improve the consistency of family support across the country.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
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 whether they collect information about the length and frequency of gaps in education for children in care that are the result of placement moves.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Information about the length and frequency of gaps in education that are the result of placement moves is not held centrally by the department.
Existing statutory data is collected for children missing education, school attendance, and children in care. However, it is not possible to accurately link these datasets to obtain the information requested, as the children missing education data is collected at a local authority level, while data for children looked after and school attendance is collected at a child level.
We recognise the need to improve the data available about children’s social care, including making it more relevant to the experience of young people during periods of change. Addressing data gaps in children’s social care will be a long-term endeavour due to the need to agree data standards and definitions, as well as redesigning local authority and departmental systems before rolling out nationally.
This work includes understanding the data needs of the children’s social care sector as a whole and scoping ways in which data gaps may be addressed over time. This year, the department has published data on stability measures for children looked after, providing insights into the placement, school, and social worker stability for these children. The data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/stability-measures-for-children-looked-after-in-england/2024.
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 the education and employment opportunities of children in care are not limited by missed education or lower grades that are the result of moving home or schools during Key Stage 4.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department is committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and achieve positive outcomes.
We recognise the critical importance of continuity and stability throughout a looked-after child’s life, and particularly in respect of their education. Under the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review guidance and regulations, the child’s social worker should do everything possible to minimise disruption to their education. School changes should be minimised, and any transitions well-planned and supported. Where a change to a child’s educational arrangements is unavoidable, their Personal Education Plan should set out arrangements to minimise disruption to education, especially during exams and other critical periods in their education.
The government is introducing measures, including through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to rebalance the placement market, improve regulation and commissioning of placements, and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying. This includes a focus on addressing the barriers that prevent homes from being established where they are needed.
Through the government’s Plan for Change, we are also investing £2 billion over this Parliament to give more children a safe, loving home, including expanding the children’s home estate, delivering more foster care placements and helping keep families together by providing targeted support before problems escalate.
These measures will mean more placements are available for children who need them, so they do not have to move at critical periods where it is not in their interests. They will also ensure that, where it is in a child's best interests, they can be placed closer to home and school.
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 impact of being moved far from their communities and support networks during their GCSE and A-Level years on children in care.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department is committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and achieve positive outcomes.
We recognise the critical importance of continuity and stability throughout a looked-after child’s life, and particularly in respect of their education. Under the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review guidance and regulations, the child’s social worker should do everything possible to minimise disruption to their education. School changes should be minimised, and any transitions well-planned and supported. Where a change to a child’s educational arrangements is unavoidable, their Personal Education Plan should set out arrangements to minimise disruption to education, especially during exams and other critical periods in their education.
The government is introducing measures, including through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to rebalance the placement market, improve regulation and commissioning of placements, and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying. This includes a focus on addressing the barriers that prevent homes from being established where they are needed.
Through the government’s Plan for Change, we are also investing £2 billion over this Parliament to give more children a safe, loving home, including expanding the children’s home estate, delivering more foster care placements and helping keep families together by providing targeted support before problems escalate.
These measures will mean more placements are available for children who need them, so they do not have to move at critical periods where it is not in their interests. They will also ensure that, where it is in a child's best interests, they can be placed closer to home and school.