Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to bring forward new policies to support (a) care leavers and (b) care-experienced people.

On 2 February 2023, the government published its response to Josh MacAlister’s independent review of Children’s Social Care. This review can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1147317/Children_s_social_care_stable_homes_consultation_February_2023.pdf. The review sets out ambitious plans to radically reform the children’s social care system and includes five Missions to improve outcomes and experiences of care leavers:

• Mission 1: By 2027, every care-experienced child and young person will feel they have strong, loving relationships in place: including providing £30 million to extend family-finding, mentoring & befriending services.
• Mission 2: By 2027, we will strengthen and extend corporate parenting responsibilities towards children in care and care leavers across the public sector: with a view to legislating to extend corporate parenting responsibilities when parliamentary time allows.
• Mission 3: By 2027, to see an improvement in the education, employment and training outcomes of children in care and care leavers: including through increasing the care leaver apprenticeship bursary from £1,000 to £3,000 from 1 August 2023; increasing funding for the care leaver covenant; providing £24 million to virtual school heads to increase support for care leavers in 16-19 education; and developing an accreditation scheme for universities and further education colleges.
• Mission 4: By 2027, to see an increase in the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and a reduction in care leaver homelessness: including providing £52 million to roll-out Staying Close; and uplifting the leaving care allowance from £2,000 to £3,000 from 1 April 2023.
• Mission 5: Working closely with health partners to reduce the disparities in long-term mental and physical health outcomes and improve wellbeing for care-experienced people: including updating guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked-after children and extending it to cover care leavers to age 25.

The government has no plans to amend legislation to extend support for care leavers to all care-experienced people.