Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor the welfare of children and vulnerable adults whose care and support has been reduced under the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Monitoring the welfare of children is a matter for the Department for Education.

The Department is working with the Care Quality Commission and Think Local, Act Personal (TLAP) to understand the impact of the Care Act 2014 easements introduced by the Coronavirus Act 2020, which allow local authorities to prioritise care and support so that the most urgent and acute needs are met. TLAP hopes to speak to local authorities which are operating under easements to understand what this means for adults with care and support needs. A TLAP Insight Group will be meeting regularly to coordinate intelligence of TLAP partners on the impact and views of people with lived experience.