Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the easing of the documentary requirements for school groups travelling to France as committed to in the UK–France Joint Leaders’ Declaration of 10 March.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they regularly (1) collect, and (2) assess, data from all relevant local authorities relating to the placement of children and young people in unregulated accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Information on children who are looked after by local authorities (including information on placement setting) is submitted to the department by local authorities on an annual basis. The latest collection, which closed in August 2020, related to children who were looked after during the year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020.
The latest information on children looked after in England, including the number of looked after children placed in independent and semi-independent placements on 31 March 2020, is contained in the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistics release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions. Information on numbers of looked after children by type of placement can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/9fb76a8e-ab86-4746-871a-925810cfb302.
Children in care and care leavers are some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society. We must do all that we can to ensure that they have access to suitable, safe and secure accommodation that meets their needs and keeps them safe. Our consultation on unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers asked for views on a set of ambitious proposals to reform unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers, including banning the placement of children under the age of 16 in these settings and introducing national standards for providers to drive up quality, keeping young people safer and delivering better outcomes.
The consultation received a strong response from the sector, and care-experienced young people. We will publish the government’s response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships were created in the tourism sector in (1) 2014–15, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The table below shows the number of apprenticeship starts in the travel and tourism sector subject area for each full academic year since 2014/15.[1],[2]
Academic year | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
Travel and tourism apprenticeship starts | 580 | 610 | 650 | 780 |
Notes
1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. The data source is the individualised learner record (ILR). Apprenticeship starts include all funded and unfunded learners reported on the ILR.
3. Numbers are a count of the number of starts at any point during the period. Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.
4. Numbers are counted for the full, final academic year (August – July).
[1] Figures for 2017/18 are available here (which also includes provisional figures for the first three quarters of 2018/19): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814997/Apprenticeship-starts-ach-framework-standard-tool_201718_Q3-201819_July2019.xlsx.
[2] Figures for 2014/15 to 2016/17 are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/694622/201415_201617_sector-subject-area-T2_age_level_demography.xlsx.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between cuts to children's support services and child victims of trafficking going missing shortly after referral to the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government takes the issue of any child going missing extremely seriously.
Funding for children’s services is an un-ring fenced part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, it is for local authorities to spend it in the way they think best to meet local needs and their statutory duties. Over the 5 year period to 2019-20, councils have access, through the Local Government Finance Settlement, to over £200 billion to deliver local services, including children’s services. Core spending power has increased from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20. In addition to this, local authorities estimate that in 2019-20 the sector will keep around £2.5 billion in business rates growth. Local authorities have control over the way in which this money is used, and as such this growth can be directed to support existing services or to invest in further growth.
In the Autumn Budget, the government announced a further £410 million in 2019-20 for local authorities to invest in adult and children’s social care services. It also announced £84 million of extra funding, over the next 5 years, to support local authorities to invest in initiatives that improve social work practice and decision making. The government will continue to work closely with the sector to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
In order to address the particular vulnerability of these children, the government updated statutory guidance for local authorities on the ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’, attached, in November 2017. This includes guidance on preventing children going missing. Department for Education data collection guidance has been revised to clarify to local authorities that all cases of looked after children who go missing – many of whom might be at heightened risk of being trafficked - are reported, including all children who have gone missing within the first 24 hours of coming to the attention of the local authority.
In addition, the government has awarded £2.2 million from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund to seven organisations to protect vulnerable children in the UK and overseas who are at risk of trafficking. The projects cover a range of areas including tailored support for trafficking victims from various cultures, developing skills and expertise in local areas, and a specialist accommodation pilot. The fund is in addition to the provision of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates for children who have been trafficked.
The cross-government Missing Children and Adults Strategy will be published in the coming months and will include commitments aimed to prevent victims of child trafficking from going missing by ensuring they are given appropriate information and support. This includes work to encourage police forces to adopt the Operation Innerste process which aims to build trust between a child and the UK authorities, reducing the likelihood of them running away.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance to local authority children's services, childcare providers and schools on how to detect and prevent breast ironing; and if so, when such guidance will be issued.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government is committed to protecting children and young people from all forms of abuse and neglect. Professionals should follow the attached statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018) to deal with breast ironing, as with any other form of abuse.
Schools should also have regard to the attached statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2018).
We are introducing Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education which will become mandatory in all schools from September 2020. The associated guidance sets out that pupils at secondary school should be taught to recognise when relationships (including family relationships) are unhealthy or abusive. This includes the unacceptability of neglect, emotional, sexual and physical abuse and violence, and addressing honour based violence and female genital mutilation. Pupils will also be taught how to get further advice, including how and where to access confidential support.