Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Early Intervention Foundation review, What works to enhance interparental relationships and improve children's outcomes, commissioned by his Department and published on 22 March 2016, what steps he is taking to strengthen the policymaker's role in promoting awareness of the effect of the quality of the relationship between parents on their children.

The report presented by the Early Intervention Foundation shows that children exposed to frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict between their parents are at risk of poorer long term outcomes. Since publication policymakers have engaged with the Early Intervention Foundation through conferences and seminars to increase their understanding of the reports findings.

This evidence is being used to inform our approach to developing policy for future relationship support provision. Since autumn 2015 we have been working with 12 local authorities to develop evidence-based strategic delivery plans to embed relationship support into local services for families.

In addition we introduced the Family Test in October 2014, which means that for the first time new Government policies will be assessed for their impact on the family. This ensures that family stability is at the heart of government policy making.