Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which local authority areas the £39 million is being spent in reducing parental conflict through evidence-based interventions; over what time periods that money is being spent; whether there are plans to make service universal; and if she will make a statement.

There are 31 local authorities (listed below) who will be testing DWP-funded face-to-face interventions to reduce parental conflict. We are spending approximately £12m on these face-to-face interventions, which will be targeted at disadvantaged families – especially workless families, who face triple the risk of experiencing damaging parental conflict. The first referrals will be in April 2019 and interventions will take place for two years.

By 31 March 2019, we will also have made available approximately £9m to build local capability in reducing parental conflict. We are providing all local authorities in England with funding to work with their local partners to increase their strategic capability in embedding proven parental conflict support, and we will also be funding training for frontline practitioners, to help them to identify relationship distress; provide initial support; and to refer appropriately.

On 23 April 2018 the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Work and Pensions announced £6m for a jointly funded package of measures to support children of alcohol dependent parents. This package will run for three years and includes:

• £4.5 million Innovation Fund for local authorities to develop plans that improve outcomes for children whose parents are dependent on alcohol and experiencing conflict
• £1 million to fund national capacity building by non-governmental organisations
• £500,000 to expand national helplines for children with alcohol dependent parents

The areas which have been successful in their Innovation Fund bids are due to be announced shortly.

We will also be working closely with all local authorities in England, including providing expert advice and support through a team of Regional Integration Leads to help local areas to integrate support to reduce parental conflict into mainstream provision for children and families. This will help to ensure that more mothers and fathers can access support to reduce parental conflict.

Further announcements will be made on other aspects of the programme in due course.

Local Authorities where Face to Face Interventions will be delivered:

Westminster, Brent, Croydon, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Gateshead, Stockton, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Newcastle, Northumberland, Hartlepool, Durham, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Southend, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Peterborough, Dorset, Somerset, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Devon, Wiltshire, Poole, Torbay.