Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of his Department's report on Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published in April 2017.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families set out a framework for improving outcomes for disadvantaged children, now and in the future. The Department for Work and Pensions continues to work with key stakeholders and with other Departments to take forward the four policies set out in the document. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 50529, which 12 local authorities the Government has been working with to help develop evidence-based strategic delivery plans to embed relationship support into local services for families.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The 12 local authorities delivering the Local Family Offer, which is trialling evidence-based strategic delivery plans to embed relationship support into local services for families, are:
Blackpool
Blackburn with Darwen
Croydon
Dorset
Essex
Gateshead
Greater Manchester
Hertfordshire
Lambeth
Luton
Newcastle
Westminster
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 50529, what plans his Department has to carry out a review of the link between poor relationship outcomes and child life chances and effectiveness of relationship support.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Department funded the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) to complete the evidence review ‘What works to enhance inter-parental relationships and improve children's outcomes’, which was published on 22 March 2016. This evaluates the impact of inter-parental relationships on children’s outcomes and is informing the development of our new programme to tackle parental conflict. This review included an assessment of the effectiveness of 15 UK programmes which aim to enhance the inter-parental relationship and improve outcomes for children, in addition to further international evidence. The Department continues to fund and work with the EIF to expand the evidence base for the effectiveness of such interventions.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 50529, how much is being allocated for the bid process for contracts to deliver targeted relationship support from 2017-18 onwards.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
A budget of £7.8m p.a. will be available for 2017-2018 and 2018-19
The budget may remain available in 2019-2020 to extend contracts for a further period, subject to the Department’s review process of the programme as a whole.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress the Government has made on the Healthy Relationships Fund.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Since autumn 2015 we have been working with 12 local authorities to develop evidence-based strategic delivery plans to embed relationship support into local services for families.
In light of the evidence review published by the Early Intervention Foundation, we are considering how best to build such capacity in all local areas, share information and support local strategic planning and delivery of services.
We also aim to launch soon an opportunity to bid for contracts to deliver targeted relationship support from 2017-18 onwards.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Early Intervention Foundation review, What works to enhance interparental relationships and improve children's outcomes, commissioned by his Department and published on 22 March 2016, what steps he is taking to increase investment for interventions aimed at supporting parental relationships in order to improve children's mental health and life chances.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Early Intervention Foundation review showed that children exposed to frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict between their parents are at risk of poorer long term outcomes. Our new approach to relationship support responds to this evidence.
Since April 2016 we have doubled the funding available for relationship support for the remainder of this Parliament. From 2017/18 we will be contracting for relationship support services which will include both help targeted at the most disadvantaged families experiencing relationship distress, as well as universal support to help all families with information and advice on building better relationships.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Early Intervention Foundation review, What works to enhance interparental relationships and improve children's outcomes, commissioned by his Department and published on 22 March 2016, what steps he is taking to strengthen the policymaker's role in promoting awareness of the effect of the quality of the relationship between parents on their children.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The report presented by the Early Intervention Foundation shows that children exposed to frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict between their parents are at risk of poorer long term outcomes. Since publication policymakers have engaged with the Early Intervention Foundation through conferences and seminars to increase their understanding of the reports findings.
This evidence is being used to inform our approach to developing policy for future relationship support provision. Since autumn 2015 we have been working with 12 local authorities to develop evidence-based strategic delivery plans to embed relationship support into local services for families.
In addition we introduced the Family Test in October 2014, which means that for the first time new Government policies will be assessed for their impact on the family. This ensures that family stability is at the heart of government policy making.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Early Intervention Foundation review, What works to enhance interparental relationships and improve children's outcomes, commissioned by his Department and published on 22 March 2016, what assessment the Government has made of the (a) link between the quality of a parental relationship on a child's life chances and (b) effectiveness of targeted relationship support.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the link between the quality of parental relationships on a child's life chances and the effectiveness of targeted relationship support. The report presented by the Early Intervention Foundation shows that children exposed to frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict between their parents are at risk of poorer long term outcomes. This evidence is being used to inform our approach to developing policy for future relationship support provision.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people with alcohol-related problems who would be affected by the Government's proposals to withhold sickness benefits from people who refuse treatment.
Answered by Priti Patel
The Government has commissioned Professor Dame Carol Black to undertake an independent review into how best to support benefit claimants who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, or who are obese, back into work or to remain in work. The review will consider the case for linking benefit entitlements to take up of appropriate treatment or support.
We will give full consideration to any recommendations made by the Review and, if accepted by the Government, the decision and financial implications would be published in the usual way. The review is due to report in early 2016.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on improving the employment and support allowance appeals process.
Answered by Mike Penning
Appeals against Employment and Support Allowance decisions decreased by just under 90% in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2013.
Our reforms to the appeals process mean claimants are now contacted much earlier, with the decision explained to them, and – through Mandatory Reconsideration – they are given the opportunity to provide further evidence. This is helping to resolve disputes as early as possible, and avoids the need for costly and protracted appeals.
We are using feedback from the First tier Tribunal to improve our approach to decision-making as part of the Department's continuous improvement work, and where we identify improvements, we will make them.