Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 51817 on Orphans: Databases, if she will take steps to create a register of all orphaned children which includes information on the care arrangements of each child.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department does not currently have any plans to create a new register for orphaned children. Our priority for children who have been orphaned is to find them a new, permanent, loving home as soon as we can.
Some are taken in by a member of their family in a kinship arrangement and are provided with a range of support and care from within their existing family network, with the support of the local authority where needed.
Others may be adopted and will receive support through the Regional Adoption Agencies.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of children in their care. The department is supporting them through funding and legislation.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to reduce child poverty.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to learn and prosper.
The Child Poverty Taskforce, which is co-chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, is exploring all available levers to drive forward action across government to reduce child poverty. More detail on the approach and priorities for the strategy is set out in the publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which was published on 23 October and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.
The department is already taking steps to reduce the cost of living through action on the high cost of branded school uniforms and commitment to roll out free breakfast clubs for primary school-aged children from the start of this summer term. The government has also extended the Household Support Fund.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to (a) provide specific advice and (b) increase the level of support available for foster parents when facing abusive or controlling behaviours from their foster child’s birth parents.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department is not currently planning specific advice or increased support on the issue of abusive or controlling behaviours from their foster child’s birth parents.
However, our investment in foster care does include sources of support for foster carers who are facing difficulties with family time or birth parents. This investment includes the rollout of the Mockingbird Family Help model, which offers peer support to foster carers and the children in their care. We also continue to fund Fosterline, which is a free helpline service for current and prospective foster carers.
The department’s guidance makes clear that children should, where appropriate, have constructive contact with their parents and other relatives who play a significant role in their lives.
Facilitating family time with parents can be challenging for some foster carers and our guidance makes clear that they should receive the necessary support, including financial assistance, to manage these arrangements. Additionally, emotional and other issues arising from family time should be addressed. Foster carers should be encouraged to raise any concerns they have with their supervising social worker and with the child’s social worker.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) levels of recognition of kinship care and (b) the lack of a kinship carers identity card on kinship carers when they interact with (i) schools, (ii) hospitals and (iii) children’s services.
Answered by Janet Daby
In October 2024, the department published the kinship care statutory guidance for local authorities, which outlines the framework for the provision of support for kinship children and kinship families.
Measures included in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill also seek to mandate local authorities to publish a kinship local offer, which sets out the information and support in a local authority's area for children living in kinship care and kinship carers, and defines what kinship care is for the purpose of the kinship care local offer. These measures will make it clear for local authorities, schools and other statutory services what support is available to those involved in a kinship arrangement.
The department recognises that some families have reported challenges around the recognition of kinship care in their interactions with schools, hospitals, and children's services. We have not carried out a formal assessment of the feasibility or potential merits of implementing a national kinship identification card, but will continue to monitor and review the needs of kinship carers and children living in kinship care and discuss the issues raised with other governmental departments and with local authorities to ensure they receive the support they deserve.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) feasibility and (b) potential merits of implementing a national kinship care identity card.
Answered by Janet Daby
In October 2024, the department published the kinship care statutory guidance for local authorities, which outlines the framework for the provision of support for kinship children and kinship families.
Measures included in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill also seek to mandate local authorities to publish a kinship local offer, which sets out the information and support in a local authority's area for children living in kinship care and kinship carers, and defines what kinship care is for the purpose of the kinship care local offer. These measures will make it clear for local authorities, schools and other statutory services what support is available to those involved in a kinship arrangement.
The department recognises that some families have reported challenges around the recognition of kinship care in their interactions with schools, hospitals, and children's services. We have not carried out a formal assessment of the feasibility or potential merits of implementing a national kinship identification card, but will continue to monitor and review the needs of kinship carers and children living in kinship care and discuss the issues raised with other governmental departments and with local authorities to ensure they receive the support they deserve.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will create a register of all orphaned children in the UK that includes (a) the living situation of the child and (b) any support offered to (i) the child and (ii) any person with caring responsibilities.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government is determined to ensure that children who have lost their parents live in a loving and stable home, with the opportunities they deserve.
Many orphaned children will be raised by a friend or family member through kinship care. Where this is in the child’s best interest, the local authority can secure a long term home for the child through a number of arrangements, or this can be done privately. Kinship carers often take on this role when they were least expecting to raise a family. This is why the government has announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance. Furthermore, the virtual school head role was expanded in September 2024 to include championing the education, attendance and attainment of children in kinship care.
Where orphaned children are unable to live with wider family networks, they may enter the care system. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a stable, loving home for all children in care. For most children, foster care is likely to be the most suitable option, as they can be supported in a family-centred environment. Our national minimum standards clarify that children in foster care deserve to be treated as any good parent would treat their own children.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to encourage (a) children’s services, (b) educational institutes and (c) health services to direct all new kinship carers to (i) charities dedicated to kinship care, (ii) bereavement services and (iii) other appropriate sources of support.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department is working across government to improve awareness and access to support for kinship carers. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and School’s Bill, we are enshrining the first definition of kinship care in law and mandating local authorities to publish their kinship local offer, increasing their accountability for ensuring kinship families are getting the information they need.
As set out in statutory guidance in October 2024, local authorities must publish the support and services local authorities should provide to kinship families in a clear, accessible way. The publication should also provide information about charities dedicated to kinship care that practitioners in children’s services, educational institutes and health services can signpost kinship carers to.
The department funds the charity Kinship to deliver over 140 peer support groups and a training package that all kinship carers across England can access. As part of their role, Kinship works with multi-agency partners to ensure that kinship carers are aware of and can access the support they need through these contracts.
Finally, the Children’s Social Care National Framework applies to those who work in and with local authority children’s social care and sets a clear expectation that ‘leaders will know and signpost to the support kinship cares and children in kinship care are eligible for’. Educational institutions and health services therefore share this duty.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help reduce regional disparities in (a) exam results and (b) access to higher education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, the department knows pupil attainment varies considerably across the country. This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break down barriers and the unfair link between background and success so all children can achieve and thrive.
High and rising standards are at the heart of this mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for all children and young people, no matter where they live.
To deliver these improvements and reduce disparities, we have introduced new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams and launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment. We are also committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers across the country.
We will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live or their personal circumstances.
All higher education (HE) providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the Office for Students. These need to set out how HE providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups and the support that they will provide to do this. While there are many examples of interventions that show a real commitment to widening successful participation, we want the sector to go further and be even more ambitious.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to (a) increase educational attainment and (b) improve career opportunities in all regions of the UK.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All children and young people should have the opportunity to succeed. That is why, through our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, this government will work in partnership with those inside and outside of government to break the unfair link between background and success.
High and rising standards across education are at the heart of this mission. As one of the department’s first steps for change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers. We have also introduced new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams and launched an independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking at the key challenges to attainment.
The government is also developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy across all areas of the country.
We have established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for both young people and adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the fair access limit of the adoption and special guardianship support fund on families; and what steps she is taking to ensure that children covered by the fund will continue to receive adequate therapeutic services.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department’s recently published policy paper specified that families should receive support immediately when the child is placed, delivering on our mission to provide children with the best start in life. Regular discussions are held with other departmental ministers on these issues.
The department recently announced £8.8 million for Adoption England to improve adoption services and help regional adoption agencies to put in place support to respond more effectively to adoptive families in crisis.
The department is also ensuring that children in kinship care get the right support. This includes promoting their educational and mental health needs and supporting their carers. We are also delivering over 140 kinship peer support groups and a package of training and support for kinship carers.
The £50 million adoption and special guardianship support fund will continue to enable families to access a significant package of therapeutic support. Local areas may supplement with their own funding as needed.
Statutory guidance states that all local authorities must publish information about services for children in kinship care and how they will meet their needs. It states that children should receive the support they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. All local authorities should be clear what support services they provide.