Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places in Secure Children's Homes were available in England and Wales as of 7 February 2023.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
A daily record of the number of places available in secure homes on any specified date during the year is not held centrally.
The latest information on the number of places available in secure homes in England and Wales, which reflects the position as at 31 March 2022, is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-accommodated-in-secure-childrens-homes. Information relating to the 31 March 2023 will be published in May 2023 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/children-accommodated-in-secure-childrens-homes-england-and-wales-31-march-2023.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for children to be received into secure children’s homes were made in each year since 2010.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
A breakdown of the number of referrals relating to welfare placements per year received since the Secure Welfare Coordination Unit (SWCU) was created has been provided below. The SWCU is a small unit grant funded by the department for the purposes of administering placements and collecting data on secure welfare, created in 2016.
This data relates to secure welfare placements only. An annual breakdown of the number of new admissions into secure for children sentenced or remanded by a criminal court has been included in attached table.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average distance is for a child residing in a secure children's home between that home and their previous address.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Neither the department or the Secure Welfare Coordination Unit publishes data relating to the average distance for a child residing in a secure children's home (SCH) via the welfare route, between that home and their previous address. For children who have been sentenced or remanded, the average distance from home to the secure children home has been provided below.
Average distance from home, November 2022
Distance from Home (miles) |
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Mean | 53.8 |
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Median | 42.0 |
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Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions secure accommodation for children has been requested and no place has been found in each year since 2010.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Neither the department, the Secure Welfare Coordination Unit or the Ministry of Justice publishes data relating to the number of occasions a secure place was requested but not found.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been placed in secure children’s homes in each month in each of the last three years.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
As per the data published in the ‘Children accommodated in Secure Children’s Homes’ (SCHs) statistics release, a breakdown of the number of children that were accommodated in SCHs is provided below:
Figures relate to the position on 31 March each year, except for 2020 when the reference date was changed to 29 February to reflect the position in secure children's homes before COVID-19 and the national lockdown.
The figures include both secure welfare and justice placements. Children can be placed in secure children's homes either by local authorities or the Youth Custody Service (YCS). The YCS place vulnerable children when they are remanded to custody by the courts or are serving a custodial sentence. Local authorities place children when no other type of placement can keep them safe as they are a significant risk to themselves or others.
A monthly breakdown of children placed in an SCH via the welfare route is not available. A monthly breakdown of the number of children admitted into secure homes who have been sentenced or remanded by a criminal court has been included in the attached table.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to consult those with learning disabilities on the work that Adult Learning centres offer.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We recognise the importance of engaging all adults, particularly those with additional needs, to provide them with the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) which fully funds, or co-funds, skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Community Learning within the AEB plays a particularly vital role in supporting those furthest from the workplace, and in improving the health and well-being of learners. Delivered in nearly every local authority area across England through adult education services, FE colleges, Institutes of Adult Learning, other training providers and voluntary sector organisations, this provision is an important stepping-stone for learners who are not ready for formal accredited learning, or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way particularly for (post-19) disadvantaged learners.
Community Learning is funded through the Education and Skills Funding Agency and the AEB, which requires providers to prioritise disadvantaged learners, particularly learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, learners with low basic skills, learners with mental health issues, and learners facing financial hardship. Colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their Community Learning funding, to determine how best to meet their learners needs.
Currently, approximately half of the AEB has been devolved to seven Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). Devolving the AEB enables MCAs/GLA to directly support adults in developing the skills that local employers need, reducing skills shortages, boosting productivity and economic prosperity, and improving wellbeing in communities. The GLA is responsible for funding AEB learners resident in Lewisham West and Penge.
Any consultation with learners, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, on the local adult learning offer is the responsibility of local AEB funded providers, MCAs and the GLA.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and East Dulwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the recently announced £300 million of catch up tutoring will go directly to schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 24 February 2021, the Government announced a new £700 million plan to help young people catch up on lost education due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This package includes funding that will be provided directly to schools as well as funding for national support programmes that will provide additional capacity to support schools.
The funding includes: