Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 61056 on Department for Education: Stonewall, if he will make an assessment of the consistency of the funding from his Department recorded in Stonewall’s Trustees' Report And Financial Statements and that Answer.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The contents of the Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements of Stonewall are a matter for the Trustees of Stonewall and its appointed auditors.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the use of social outcomes partnerships to support looked-after children.
Answered by Will Quince
At present, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has no plans to expand the future use of Social Outcome Partnerships/Social Impact Bonds within the context of children who are Looked After.
The department has previously engaged with the model in 2018, as part of the government’s commitment to supporting care leavers to live independent lives. The department has commissioned three projects, as part of the Care Leavers Social Impact Bond programme, to deliver support to care leavers, aged 16-25. These projects are yet to receive a full evaluation.
In May 2021 a summary report was published by the department, which documents current experience with Social Outcome Partnerships/Social Impact Bonds: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1003308/CSC_Summary_report_20210629_TH.pdf.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has for the future use of social outcomes partnerships in supporting looked-after children.
Answered by Will Quince
At present, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has no plans to expand the future use of Social Outcome Partnerships/Social Impact Bonds within the context of children who are Looked After.
The department has previously engaged with the model in 2018, as part of the government’s commitment to supporting care leavers to live independent lives. The department has commissioned three projects, as part of the Care Leavers Social Impact Bond programme, to deliver support to care leavers, aged 16-25. These projects are yet to receive a full evaluation.
In May 2021 a summary report was published by the department, which documents current experience with Social Outcome Partnerships/Social Impact Bonds: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1003308/CSC_Summary_report_20210629_TH.pdf.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department has allocated to Stonewall in each of the last five years; and for what projects.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Please find attached an Excel file summarising payments that the Department for Education has made to Stonewall. The data has been provided on a financial year basis and covers 2017-18 through to 2020-21. The majority of the spend incurred was not by the Department for Education, but instead the Government Equalities Office.
Expenditure data for the 2016-17 financial year is subject to an ongoing data migration process from a previous service provider and is therefore not accessible at this time.
The Department for Education has an internal five year Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to create a department where everyone is able to bring their whole self to work and where honesty, challenge and innovation are encouraged and valued. By forming these relationships and spending, the department is helping to create an environment where all staff, regardless of their protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 (including but not limited to sexual orientation or gender identity), are supported and do not face discrimination, and supports the department to fulfil its requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) properties classified as heritage assets by his Department, (b) most recent estimate of the value of those properties and (c) annual income derived from those properties.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not have properties classified as heritage assets.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many adoptions have taken place in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department does not hold information on the number of all children in England who are adopted. However, we hold information on children who have been adopted from care.
The latest information on children looked after in England is contained in the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions.
Figures for the numbers of children looked after who were adopted are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/bc87ab18-fc58-4c83-a12b-f65dbedbba9b.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to make it a requirement for private tutors to undergo safeguarding checks and be subject to the DBS requirements applicable to directly employed teachers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Nothing is more important than the safety of children, which is why private tutors are already eligible to receive basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates, which parents and carers should ask to see to assure themselves of a tutor’s suitability. In addition to asking to see a private tutor’s basic DBS certificate, parents and carers might also consider what other information may be available to help them assess a tutor’s suitability to work with their children. It is recommended that parents confirm a tutor’s identity. Testimonials from parents and/or pupils themselves will help provide reassurance about the tutor’s teaching ability and about the way in which they interact with the pupil.
Parents and carers should also look to ensure that the home tutoring takes place in a room in the home that allows the parent access to enable them to supervise.
The Government is exploring ways to allow self employed people, including tutors, to access enhanced criminal records checks.
On 21 October 2020, the Department published ‘Keeping children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition: non-statutory guidance for providers running out-of-school settings’. This guidance is for organisations or individuals who provide community activities, tuition or after school clubs for children, also known as out of school settings (OOSS) providers, as well as their staff and volunteers.
The guidance aims to help providers of OOSS understand best practice for creating a safe environment for children in their care and give parents and carers confidence that their child is in a safe activity or teaching environment. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings-code-of-practice.
Alongside this, the Department has also published accompanying guidance for parents and carers to help support them when choosing OOSS providers for their children, including positive signs and red flags to look out for. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-on-safeguarding-children-in-out-of-school-settings.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to announce guidance for schools wanting to restore educational residential trips from the summer 2021 term.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. The Department is working on advice for schools on the planning and booking of residential trips when it is safe to do so and in line with the Government’s roadmap to recovery, as set out in: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021. The advice will be published shortly.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the urgent letters from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham of 10 December 2020 and 26 January 2021, on declined reimbursement costs for a local primary school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
I can confirm that a response has been sent to my hon. Friend, the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to extend funding for the Adoption Support Fund beyond March 2021.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Funding for the Adoption Support Fund will be continuing for the next financial year of 2021-22.