Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the handcuffing of children in care during secure transportation occurs.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is clear that restraint, which includes the use of handcuffs, in relation to looked-after children is only permissible in a very narrow range of circumstances, and must always be necessary and proportionate. The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and supporting statutory guidance clearly sets out the law regarding the use of restraint where children are placed in children’s homes, including in secure children’s homes. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-homes-regulations-including-quality-standards-guide.
Restraint is only permitted in certain instances, in order to prevent injury to any person including the child, to prevent serious damage to the property of any person including the child, or to prevent a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.
Homes are required to record any incidents of restraint under Regulation 35. There is also a requirement under Regulation 40 for the Registered Person to inform Ofsted of any incident in relation to a child that they consider to be serious, which would usually include an incident of restraint. The department does not routinely collect data on the use of restraint.
In 2019, the government published guidance on reducing the need for restraint for those responsible for providing education, health, and social care to children and young people under 18 years of age with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties in these settings. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812435/reducing-the-need-for-restraint-and-restrictive-intervention.pdf.
Where local authorities have contract arrangements with transport services, restraint should only be used in very limited circumstances, in accordance with the guidance on the use of restraint and must always be necessary and proportionate. The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 will be reviewed as part of the government’s response to the Care Review recommendations, Stable Homes, Built on Love. In this, we have committed to review care standards, and will not hesitate to revisit guidance on the use of restraint and strengthen the law in this area, if we find this is necessary.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of whether there is evidence of handcuffing of children in care during secure transportation.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is clear that restraint, which includes the use of handcuffs, in relation to looked-after children is only permissible in a very narrow range of circumstances, and must always be necessary and proportionate. The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and supporting statutory guidance clearly sets out the law regarding the use of restraint where children are placed in children’s homes, including in secure children’s homes. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-homes-regulations-including-quality-standards-guide.
Restraint is only permitted in certain instances, in order to prevent injury to any person including the child, to prevent serious damage to the property of any person including the child, or to prevent a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.
Homes are required to record any incidents of restraint under Regulation 35. There is also a requirement under Regulation 40 for the Registered Person to inform Ofsted of any incident in relation to a child that they consider to be serious, which would usually include an incident of restraint. The department does not routinely collect data on the use of restraint.
In 2019, the government published guidance on reducing the need for restraint for those responsible for providing education, health, and social care to children and young people under 18 years of age with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties in these settings. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812435/reducing-the-need-for-restraint-and-restrictive-intervention.pdf.
Where local authorities have contract arrangements with transport services, restraint should only be used in very limited circumstances, in accordance with the guidance on the use of restraint and must always be necessary and proportionate. The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 will be reviewed as part of the government’s response to the Care Review recommendations, Stable Homes, Built on Love. In this, we have committed to review care standards, and will not hesitate to revisit guidance on the use of restraint and strengthen the law in this area, if we find this is necessary.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the £600 million apprenticeship levy returned to his Department due to the decrease of apprenticeship starts has been allocated to Birmingham City Council.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.
The government, via HM Revenue and Customs, collects the apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with a payroll of more than £3 million. From this, HM Treasury (HMT) sets an English apprenticeships budget for the Department for Education, and the devolved governments receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula. The department has seen some underspends in the apprenticeships budget in previous years, and these are set out in the department’s annual report and accounts. However, this was not the case in the 2021/22 financial year, when the total spend on apprenticeships in England was £2,455 million, against the budget of £2,466 million, meaning that 99.6% of the apprenticeships budget was spent.
Any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are first returned to HMT, as per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance. As employers choose which apprenticeships they offer and when, annual spend of the apprenticeship budget is subject to employer demand.
The apprenticeship system is employer-led, with apprenticeship funding available for both levy-paying employers and smaller employers who do not pay the levy. Apprenticeship funding is, therefore, not allocated to organisations, such as Birmingham City Council, sectors or regions, nor to particular groups of apprentices.
The government is increasing apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year to support apprenticeships growth. The department has also created flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships accessible. The BBC are one of our Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies and have launched a training hub in Birmingham to support new apprenticeship starts in the creative sector in the West Midlands. We have also improved the transfer system to make it easier for levy paying employers to find other employers who wish to take on new apprentices with transferred funds.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will include in her Department's guidance for schools and local authorities on free school meals how (a) local authorities and (b) schools should provide free school meals to disabled children who are unable to access them.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Education Act 1996 places a duty on maintained schools and academies to provide free school meals (FSM) to pupils of all ages that meet the criteria for eligibility and who are attending school during term time. The Act makes clear that a child must be registered at a publicly funded school as a condition of claiming FSM.
Local Authorities are funded to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those who are unable to attend school on a long term basis. Parents are advised to liaise with Local Authorities to consider suitable alternatives in line with the guidance on long term illnesses, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/illness-child-education.
The Department is always considering how it can best support children with SEND and their parents. The Department will keep its guidance on FSM under review to ensure that it is meeting user needs.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing disabled children who are eligible for free school meals and (a) are unable to attend school due to a long-term medical condition and (b) cannot eat those meals as a result of (i) dietary requirements and (ii) sensory processing difficulties with a (A) direct payment or (B) voucher scheme instead.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Education Act 1996 places a duty on maintained schools and academies to provide free school meals (FSM) to pupils of all ages that meet the criteria for eligibility and who are attending school during term time. The Act makes clear that a child must be registered at a publicly funded school as a condition of claiming FSM.
Local Authorities are funded to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those who are unable to attend school on a long term basis. Parents are advised to liaise with Local Authorities to consider suitable alternatives in line with the guidance on long term illnesses, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/illness-child-education.
The Department is always considering how it can best support children with SEND and their parents. The Department will keep its guidance on FSM under review to ensure that it is meeting user needs.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the Centre for Financial Capability’s finding that one-fifth of primary school children have access to financial education.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government wants all young people to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
The Department works closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and HM Treasury to consider the wide range of evidence for financial education, and to explore the opportunities to improve the availability to high quality financial education for all pupils. This evidence includes reports from the Centre for Financial Capability.
MaPS has a statutory duty to develop and coordinate a national strategy to improve people’s financial capabilities. Their ten year strategy, published in 2020, set out their national goal that two million more children and young people will receive a meaningful financial education by 2030. The strategy is supported by Delivery Plans for each nation of the UK. This can be found here: https://www.maps.org.uk/uk-strategy-for-financial-wellbeing/.
The Department has introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum which provides young people with the knowledge and financial capabilities to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content regarding financial education, such as calculations with money. Primary schools can also choose to teach financial education content within their citizenship curriculum, using the non-statutory citizenship curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/citizenship-programmes-of-study-for-key-stages-1-and-2.
MaPS published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England, to support schools to enhance the financial education currently being taught. This guidance can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
The Department and MaPS will deliver a series of joint financial education webinars this academic year, aimed at promoting the importance of financial education for all pupils, improving teacher confidence and knowledge.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps with local authorities to help reduce the number of moves made by children in the care system.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Department believes that every child should experience a stable loving home during their time in care. There are many factors that contribute to placement instability and we are now collecting data to help understand the reason for placement changes. The data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/53b32118-528e-4015-777b-08dab100bfc2.
It is important to note that some placement moves are necessary, particularly when part of a plan to find a longer term or permanent home for a child. Planned moves are often in the best interests of the child. A first placement may be organised at short notice due to an emergency and may not be a perfect fit, or a child may need a short-term placement for specialist care.
To improve placement stability, the department has invested in the Mockingbird Family Model, which is an innovative approach to strengthening the delivery of foster care and reducing placement breakdown. Since 2014, the department has provided over £8 million to help a total of 58 local authorities across the country embed the Mockingbird programme. £1.7 million of this was provided as part of the Covid Regional Recovery Fund.
Recognising the urgency of action in placement sufficiency, the department will prioritise working with local authorities to recruit more foster carers. This will include pathfinder local recruitment campaigns that build towards a national programme, to help ensure those carers approved are the right match for children coming into care and children have access to the right placements at the right time.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to research by the charity Become on the number of children in the care system in England moved each day, what steps she is taking to improve the safety and stability of children in the care system.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Department believes that every child should experience a stable loving home during their time in care. There are many factors that contribute to placement instability and we are now collecting data to help understand the reason for placement changes. The data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/53b32118-528e-4015-777b-08dab100bfc2.
It is important to note that some placement moves are necessary, particularly when part of a plan to find a longer term or permanent home for a child. Planned moves are often in the best interests of the child. A first placement may be organised at short notice due to an emergency and may not be a perfect fit, or a child may need a short-term placement for specialist care.
To improve placement stability, the department has invested in the Mockingbird Family Model, which is an innovative approach to strengthening the delivery of foster care and reducing placement breakdown. Since 2014, the department has provided over £8 million to help a total of 58 local authorities across the country embed the Mockingbird programme. £1.7 million of this was provided as part of the Covid Regional Recovery Fund.
Recognising the urgency of action in placement sufficiency, the department will prioritise working with local authorities to recruit more foster carers. This will include pathfinder local recruitment campaigns that build towards a national programme, to help ensure those carers approved are the right match for children coming into care and children have access to the right placements at the right time.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the level of demand for school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities.
To support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties, the department is investing £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to help deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This represents a significant investment in new high needs provision. It will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and will also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.
As part of this commitment, in March 2022 we announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment, focused on academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25. Birmingham received a total of just under £27.3 million through the allocations announced in March 2022. Birmingham also received over £6.5 million through previous allocations announced in April 2021, to deliver new places for academic year 2022/23.
From Summer 2023 the department will be collecting data from local authorities on the physical capacity of special schools and SEND provision in mainstream schools, as well as corresponding forecasts of demand for specialist places. We expect this to be an annual data collection, forming part of the existing School Capacity Survey.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November to Question 902446 on Students: Finance, when she plans to provide an update on an alternative student finance product for Muslim students.
Answered by Robert Halfon
I refer the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak to the answer given on the 25 July 2022 to Question 37600.