Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children in the children's social care system are regularly screened to determine whether their physical, mental and emotional health needs are being met.

Statutory guidance states that health assessments must take place annually for every child in the social care system.

Local authorities are responsible for making sure this health assessment produces a health plan that addresses the child’s physical, emotional, and mental health needs. This health plan includes a strengths and difficulties questionnaire that measures any emotional or behavioural difficulties experienced by the child.

The initial health plan must be completed within 20 days of the child entering care, in time for the first statutory review of the child’s care plan. The health assessments are not isolated events but are reviewed annually and are part of the dynamic and continuous cycle of care planning.