Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of (a) his Department's total spend on the national assessment and accreditation system for children’s social workers since its introduction in 2018 and (b) how much will have been spent on that scheme by the time of its closure.

Since the introduction of the National Assessment and Accreditation System, the department estimates it will have spent around £29.5 million up to the end of financial year 2021-22. Around £12 million of this funding was provided directly to local authorities to support them in continuing to develop their workforce.

As of March 2022, delivery of assessment and accreditation will stop while we work with the sector on developing a new sustainable delivery model.