Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen the transition points for children between (a) various stages of the child’s life including home and social care, (b) different forms of social care provision and (c) social care and independent living to ensure stability and safety for all affected children.

The department is clear that children are best looked after within their families, which is why we are investing £695 million over three years in our Supporting Families programme. The programme assigns keyworkers to families to help identify unmet need in the family. They co-ordinate access to services and look out for vulnerable children and young people, to avoid increased risk of abuse of exploitation and preventing them from needing to enter the care system.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring placements are suitable and take account of children’s longer-term needs. The department is clear that it is unacceptable for any child or young person to be placed in a setting that does not meet their needs. Sometimes, children in their care transition between different placements to ensure their needs are best met, and local authorities must support children and young people as they move between placements.

As a child gets older and begins the transition to adulthood, the department is committed to ensuring they receive the support and skills they need to succeed and achieve their maximum potential in life. Supported accommodation allows young people to live semi-independently and can be the right choice for some older children who are ready for this transition. To improve the quality of this type of provision, we are investing £142 million across the next three years to introduce mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration, and inspection for providers of supported accommodation.

The department is providing £172 million funding over the next three years to support care leavers, with better move-on accommodation and practical and emotional support from a personal advisor. The funding includes £99.8 million for local authorities over the next three years to help care leavers stay with their foster families after they turn 18 in a Staying Put arrangement, so they can continue to benefit from a stable and secure family setting as they transition to independence. Additionally, £36 million will extend the Staying Close programme so that more care leavers leaving children’s homes will be supported with move-on accommodation and support from a trusted adult. Finally, £36.4 million will be provided for Personal Advisors to support care leavers up to age 25. This will help them navigate services such as housing, health, or benefits and in providing practical or emotional support to help them prepare for living independently.