Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure every disabled child, young person, and their families receive the social care support they need.

The department’s £18 million supported internship scheme will help more people into sustained paid employment. The department is also making better respite care available for those who care for children with special educational needs and disabilities, with councils invited to bid for an extra £30 million for the next three years to set up more than 10,000 additional short break and respite placements for vulnerable children.

Local authorities have access to £54.1 billion core spending power in the 2022/23 financial year to deliver their services, including for children and young people, this is £3.7 billion more than in the 2021/22 financial year.

As part of this, the government has boosted the social care grant, increasing it by £636 million, and so bringing it to a total of around £2.35 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. Local authorities will have access to a one-off Services Grant in the 2022/23 financial year which is worth over £800 million and can be used for all services, including children’s social care.

The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care is due to set out its final recommendations this spring, and the department will consider those relevant to early help to inform any next steps.