Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Practice guidance: placements in unregistered children’s homes in England or unregistered care home services in Wales, published on 12 November 2019; and, in the light of that guidance, whether it is permissible for a child on remand to be (1) placed, and (2) detained, in unregulated accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The practice guidance: Placements in unregistered children’s homes in England or unregistered care home services in Wales was developed and issued by the President of the Family Division of the courts, with input from Ofsted and the Department for Education. This guidance sets out steps that must be followed in circumstances where courts use their inherent jurisdiction to authorise a residential placement where restrictions are placed on the liberty of a child.
The guidance makes clear that where a child’s care needs are such that the setting in which they are placed should be registered as a children’s home, steps must immediately be taken by those operating the unit to apply for registration, so that the placement will become regulated as soon as possible. The guidance also requires the court to monitor the progress of the application for registration and, if registration is not achieved, to review its continued approval of the child’s placement where necessary.
The government is clear that local authorities have statutory duties to meet the needs of the children whom they look after, and to ensure that there is sufficient accommodation. Where settings meet the definition of a children's home, they must register as one: it is an offence not to do so.
Where a child is remanded to local authority accommodation, they become a looked after child and the designated local authority are responsible for identifying a suitable placement. As long as they remain looked after, these children and young people are entitled to the same care planning and review processes as any other looked after children, including ensuring that they are placed in a setting which meets their needs and keeps them safe.
In discharging these duties and making these decisions for children on remand, local authorities must also consider any restrictions that the court has imposed, such as a curfew or electronic monitoring, and ensure that any placement is able to effectively incorporate these restrictions. For many young people, particularly those with more stringent restrictions set by the court, placements in independent and semi-independent provision will not be a suitable option. Local authorities should place young people in settings that best meet their needs while being able to facilitate any restrictions the court has ordered. This could include a placement with foster carers or in a children’s home.
Children who are remanded to youth detention accommodation, can be placed in either a Youth Offenders Institution, a Secure Training Centre or a Secure Children’s Home.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to improve fostering following the digital discovery phases undertaken by the Department for Education.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In 2019, we conducted 2 digital discovery phases to better understand the problems experienced by children, foster carers, adopters and prospective adopters, social workers, placement officers and others in the fostering system, as identified in the 2017 independent review and Education Select Committee enquiry.
Through this work we have conducted some initial testing of possible digital approaches that could increase the flow of information between local data systems as well as improving the quality and granularity of the data. The aim is to ensure that children will have a better understanding of their care journey, that carers have higher-quality information about the children they are caring for, and to explore how a national digital approach could support improved matching of children to carers.
The initial testing phase of potential approaches was completed in January 2020. Further testing is now needed to establish a preferred solution, or combination of solutions, to enable the right people to have access to the right information when they need to, in order to make the best decisions about placements for children. We have therefore allocated further funding for this work in the 2020/21 financial year. Given the potential benefits of a digital system for children and young people, we are committed to continuing to work with stakeholders to explore options and recommence active testing once social distancing restrictions have eased.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the evidence given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee on 14 May 2019, what progress they have made towards the creation of a combined national adoption and fostering register.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In 2019, we conducted 2 digital discovery phases to better understand the problems experienced by children, foster carers, adopters and prospective adopters, social workers, placement officers and others in the fostering system, as identified in the 2017 independent review and Education Select Committee enquiry.
Through this work we have conducted some initial testing of possible digital approaches that could increase the flow of information between local data systems as well as improving the quality and granularity of the data. The aim is to ensure that children will have a better understanding of their care journey, that carers have higher-quality information about the children they are caring for, and to explore how a national digital approach could support improved matching of children to carers.
The initial testing phase of potential approaches was completed in January 2020. Further testing is now needed to establish a preferred solution, or combination of solutions, to enable the right people to have access to the right information when they need to, in order to make the best decisions about placements for children. We have therefore allocated further funding for this work in the 2020/21 financial year. Given the potential benefits of a digital system for children and young people, we are committed to continuing to work with stakeholders to explore options and recommence active testing once social distancing restrictions have eased.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that harder-to-place children, previously matched through the statutory Adoption Register for England, are found adoptive families in a timely manner.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Finding stable and loving permanent homes for vulnerable children is a priority for this government.
Children continue to be matched with families, with adoption agencies using a variety of systems where they need to seek inter-agency matches.
Two thirds of local authorities are now part of a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA), which aim to deliver more efficient recruitment of adopters and faster matching of children and families. The vast majority of remaining local authorities are on track to be in a live RAA by the end of 2020.
The government has also invested £1 million in adopter recruitment during 2020-21, which will focus on generating an increase in people of all backgrounds, coming forward to adopt children who have ‘harder-to-place’ characteristics.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recommendations of the APPG for Adoption and Permanence's report Investing in Families: The Adoption Support Fund beyond 2020, what plans they have to establish a board of clinicians in the Department for Education to provide clinical oversight of, and support to, the Adoption Support Fund.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Last year we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021 pending the outcome of the multi-year Spending Review in 2020. The announcement, attached, can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-funding-to-boost-adoption-support.
We will consider the scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of our planning for this Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend eligibility for the Adoption Support Fund to children being cared for under a Special Guardianship Order who do not have a previously looked after status.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Last year we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021 pending the outcome of the multi-year Spending Review in 2020. The announcement, attached, can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-funding-to-boost-adoption-support.
We will consider the scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of our planning for this Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Russell of Liverpool (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the therapeutic interventions available through the Adoption Support Fund.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Last year we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021 pending the outcome of the multi-year Spending Review in 2020. The announcement, attached, can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-funding-to-boost-adoption-support.
We will consider the scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of our planning for this Spending Review.