Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed national maternity and neonatal action plan will include specific measures to assess and support parent–infant relationships, particularly in the period prior to discharge from maternity and neonatal units.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The investigation’s final report will be published in June. While its final recommendations cannot be pre-empted, the taskforce’s terms of reference state that all aspects of maternity and neonatal care will be considered when developing its national action plan.

More widely, we are investing £200 million into the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to strengthen Healthy Babies support in the critical 1,001 days, giving families access to enhanced perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship, and infant feeding services, to help build the foundations for every baby’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.

On improving neonatal outreach, the NHS England Improving Postnatal Care Toolkit, published in January 2026 and available on the NHS.UK website, helps integrated care boards and local trusts optimise maternal and infant health. It requires commissioners to integrate neonatal and community care, reduce health inequalities, and recommends robust clinical handovers between neonatal units and local general practices and health visiting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed national maternity and neonatal action plan will include provisions to ensure continuity of care between discharge from neonatal units and community services, including health visiting and family hubs.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The investigation’s final report will be published in June. While its final recommendations cannot be pre-empted, the taskforce’s terms of reference state that all aspects of maternity and neonatal care will be considered when developing its national action plan.

More widely, we are investing £200 million into the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to strengthen Healthy Babies support in the critical 1,001 days, giving families access to enhanced perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship, and infant feeding services, to help build the foundations for every baby’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.

On improving neonatal outreach, the NHS England Improving Postnatal Care Toolkit, published in January 2026 and available on the NHS.UK website, helps integrated care boards and local trusts optimise maternal and infant health. It requires commissioners to integrate neonatal and community care, reduce health inequalities, and recommends robust clinical handovers between neonatal units and local general practices and health visiting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme will recommend the adoption of holistic family centre frameworks, such as Ei Smart, as part of efforts to support babies and families with the transition from neonatal units to family hubs.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In March 2026, we published Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies guidance, setting out a series of expectations to enable local authorities to design their support offer for families tailored to local need. While the guidance is not prescriptive about what provision local authorities should introduce, it sets expectations that targeted support should be provided for families facing health inequalities, including those who have required neonatal care.

Some local authorities are already using programme funding to focus on families with babies who have had a period in neonatal care. For example, in Lincolnshire the Family and Baby project has been introduced which operates from neonatal units and provides early, relationship-based support to improve attachment, infant development, and parental wellbeing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 29 April (HL16444), when they intend to confirm the individual budgets for providers of the Dance and Drama Awards Scheme for the 2026–27 academic year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No information about the timing of Dance and Drama Award allocations for the 2027/28 academic year is available at this time.

Individual Dance and Drama Award funding allocations for the 2026/27 academic year were issued to providers on 5 June 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when providers will be notified of the Dance and Drama Awards allocations for the 2027–28 academic year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No information about the timing of Dance and Drama Award allocations for the 2027/28 academic year is available at this time.

Individual Dance and Drama Award funding allocations for the 2026/27 academic year were issued to providers on 5 June 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when providers will be notified of the Music and Dance Scheme award allocations for the 2027–28 academic year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Music and Dance Scheme will be allocated future funding of £37.8 million for the 2026/27 academic year. This is a £1.3 million increase to the £36.5 million commitment for the 2025/26 academic year.

We recognise the pressures faced by all our providers and due consideration has been given to longer-term funding. We therefore intend to confirm funding for 2027/28 academic year before the end of this calendar year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when providers will be notified of the Music and Dance Scheme award allocations for the 2026–27 academic year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Music and Dance Scheme will be allocated future funding of £37.8 million for the 2026/27 academic year. This is a £1.3 million increase to the £36.5 million commitment for the 2025/26 academic year.

We recognise the pressures faced by all our providers and due consideration has been given to longer-term funding. We therefore intend to confirm funding for 2027/28 academic year before the end of this calendar year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what they mean by “enhanced parent–infant relationship support” in the updated Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies guidance; and how equivalent support will be defined, delivered, and funded in local authorities that are not in receipt of that programme funding.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies guidance, we have a set a series of expectations for local authorities to support them to design their local service offer. The enhanced perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support is intended to build on existing provision within the system. Local authorities are empowering the workforce to be able to confidently identify and address need. They are providing high-quality support in a range of ways, such as virtually, one-to-one, and through peer support, and working across the system to strengthen referral pathways.

Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we commitment to rolling out Healthy Babies to match expansion of Best Start Family Hubs. While we do not expect local authorities who are not receiving funding to provide equivalent support to those that are, through the guidance we have set ambitions that we encourage them to work towards, which will lay the foundations for roll out. This includes equipping staff to offer emotional and wellbeing support, promote early attachment and connect families to appropriate services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will include (1) representatives of families with lived experience of neonatal care, and (2) professionals with expertise in ‘baby voice’ who are able to represent the baby’s perspective in the formation and prioritisation of services.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Family voices are key to the work of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce. Families with a wide range of lived experience of maternity and neonatal care are represented on both the taskforce and within the Expert Reference Groups (ERGs) that are supporting the taskforce’s work.

Membership of the taskforce currently includes a representative from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, providing expertise in neonatal care. There are also currently several professionals with backgrounds in neonatology on the Workforce, Clinical and Academic ERG. These include Dr Adam Smith-Collins, a Consultant Neonatologist of the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Professor James Boardman, a Professor of Neonatal Medicine of the University of Edinburgh, Dr Jideofor Menakaya, a Consultant Neonatologist Paediatrician of the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Jonathan Cusack, a Consultant Neonatologist of the Leicester Neonatal Service, and Shazia Hoodbhoy, a Consultant Neonatologist of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether professionals with specific expertise of (1) cerebral palsy, (2) Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and (3) Assistive Technology, will be part of the national expert panel developing the national standards and specialist support packages.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The National Inclusion Standards will set out what ordinarily available provision should be in every setting across the 0 to 25 system, whilst Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based packages of support for those children and young people with the most complex needs.

The department has appointed an independent panel of experts, selected for their skills, knowledge, and professional standing, and led by education and health co-chairs, to develop and review the Standards and Packages. The panel includes education specialists, research experts and health professionals with occupational therapy and speech, language and communication expertise. The panel will engage with stakeholders to make sure their recommendations are informed by a wide range of views and lived experience

We are committed to upskilling staff to use assistive technology to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) including cerebral palsy. We have invested over £1.6 million to pilot assistive technology lending libraries through the SEND and alternative provision change programme, allowing up to 3,800 mainstream settings to borrow technology and ‘try before they buy’. We have also launched new introductory assistive technology training materials, helping every teacher to feel confident using digital tools to support children and young people with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their response to the public consultation SEND reform: Putting Children and Young People First.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Schools White Paper and SEND consultation document, published on 23 February 2026, set out our proposed changes to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across the 0 to 25 system. The SEND consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on 18 May.

To ensure these reforms work in practice, we are committed to co-designing them with children, families and professionals, and testing and refining our proposals collaboratively. Ministers are holding regular meetings with campaigners and disabled children’s organisations to hear a range of views and perspectives on the proposed reforms.

We are carefully reviewing and taking into account the nearly 10,000 responses received through the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course and bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity as set out in the King’s Speech.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) expertise in the private, voluntary and independent specialist sectors will be protected and utilised under the SEND reforms.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The private, voluntary and independent specialist sectors play an important role in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across the 0-25 system.

The department has engaged extensively with providers and representative organisations from across the specialist sector throughout the development of our proposed SEND reforms, including those working in early years and post-16 provision. We are carefully reviewing all consultation responses and continuing to engage widely on our proposals. To ensure reforms work in practice, we are committed to co-designing them with children, families and professionals, and testing and refining our proposals collaboratively. Ministers are holding regular meetings with campaigners and disabled children’s organisations to hear a range of views and perspectives on the proposed reforms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Integrated Care Boards will be required to co-fund the multi-agency Specialist Provision Packages required for children with neurodisability needs such as cerebral palsy.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Specialist Provision Packages (Packages) will set out the provision required to support children and young people with complex needs and will underpin the education entitlements in education, health and care (EHC) plans. Health services are responsible for delivering and funding the health elements specified in an EHC plan.

Through our reforms, we will improve access to multi-agency support in EHC plans, across education, health and care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) targeted funding, and (2) specialist training, they intend to provide to enable multi-discipline health teams and mainstream school staff to deliver tailored support and interventions for children with cerebral palsy.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department wants every child to have the best start in life, with help available earlier and locally when families need it.

Children with the most complex needs will receive support through education, health and care (EHC) plans backed by Specialist Provision Packages. We are appointing an independent expert panel to develop the full packages in discussion with families and professionals working across education and healthcare.

We are investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer. This is designed to strengthen the capability of mainstream education settings by providing access to support from key services and health and specialist education practitioners including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists (including assistant or trainees) and specialist teachers, both local authority based and those in specialist or Alternative Provision settings. This will benefit many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including some children with cerebral palsy attending mainstream settings, by improving the support available within those settings.

Alongside this on 16 January the department announced a new training package, backed by £200 million of new funding, to ensure that all teachers, educators, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND.

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Found: Wimbledon Lord Alderdice Baroness Blackstone Lord Bruce of Bennachie Baroness Crawley Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie

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Found: Baroness Blackstone; Lord Bruce of Bennachie; Baroness Crawley; Lord Darroch of Kew; Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie