Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the funding available to local authorities to provide effective children's services to support children and their families.

Funding for children’s services is made available through the local government finance settlement. We are in the final year of a multi-year settlement deal, worth over £200 billion in the five years to 2020.

In the Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on adult and children social care services, along with £84 million over five years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families.