Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Guide for children and young people: Stable Homes, Built on Love published 2 February 2023, what steps she is taking to ensure that all funding for Risk Outside the Home Pathway pilots is spent on service delivery.

Experiencing extra-familial harm and exploitation can have a devastating impact on children, their families and the wider community.

This financial year, the department is providing up to £60,000 each to four local authorities to further test a Risk Outside the Home Pathway, as part of Durham University’s Planning for Safety research project. The Pathway has been developed by Wiltshire Council and is tailored to the needs of children facing risk of significant harm from outside the home.

Grant agreements are in place with each of the four local authorities and set out a clear expectation that funding provided by the department should contribute towards the set up and implementation of the Risk Outside The Home Pathway in their area.