Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what help they have arranged for school-aged young carers who cannot attend schools because they are self-isolating with parents who have vulnerable conditions.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Ensuring that vulnerable children and young people, including young carers, are protected and supported is a top priority for this government. That is why we have included young carers as a target group for our new See, Hear, Respond service. It will provide a range of support, including online counselling or therapy, and will help identify children who would most benefit from extra support so that they can reintegrate into school in September. In addition, the government will shortly be publishing advice for young people with caring responsibilities, which will include information and guidance on how and where they can get help and support, including for those who cannot currently attend school.
We are committed to ensuring that any pupil who cannot yet return to school continues to learn at home. Schools know their pupils best, including those with caring responsibilities, and we have been clear that school leaders should use their resources, particularly pupil premium funding, to support pupils who have particular needs because of their home circumstances. This will include young carers and pupils who have a social worker. We are working with a range of partners, including the Education Endowment Foundation, to explore how schools can best help their disadvantaged pupils to make up lost ground. Our latest guidance on remote education during the COVID-19 outbreak is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
The government has committed over £100 million to support children to access remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers. We have ordered laptops and tablets for children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examination in year 10, those receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. We are providing over 50,000 4G wireless routers to disadvantaged children with a social worker in secondary school, care leavers and children in year 10 who do not have access to a suitable internet connection through other means. We are also ensuring every school that needs it has access to free, expert technical support to get set up on Google for Education or Microsoft’s Office 365 Education. We are offering peer support through the EdTech Demonstrator schools programme – with leading schools and colleges helping others to make the best use of available technology to teach pupils remotely.
The department is continuing to assess the potential impact of school closure on children and young people’s mental health and attainment. We are working closely with schools and colleges, sector organisations, the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England to understand the risks to academic attainment, mental health and wellbeing and identify the children and young people that may need support.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 January (HL158), whether they published their national strategy to tackle all forms of child sexual abuse; and if so, where it can be found.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The government is committed to publishing a first of its kind national strategy on tackling all forms of child sexual abuse, outlining our long-term ambition to drive a whole system response to tackle this horrific crime. However, we must respond to the threats raised by Covid-19 and our priority is to tackle offending, protect children and support victims and survivors during this challenging time.
We have responded swiftly to the risks posed by COVID-19. We are working with Law Enforcement, the UK Intelligence Community, safeguarding partners and the third sector to assess the threat and ensure they have the resources they need to tackle offending and provide the greatest protection for vulnerable children.
The Government has made £1.6 million available immediately for the NSPCC to expand and promote its national helpline for adults. We have also launched a £1.2 million funding competition for organisations providing support for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse at a national level, including through support lines, online resources and remote counselling. We have further driven forward work to respond to the increased risk of children coming to harm online, by working across government, with the NCA and industry to ensure that teachers, parents and carers have access to the support they need to help keep children safe online.
The Home Office will further distribute £7.8 million in emergency support for charities helping vulnerable children who have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The Home Office is working closely with other government departments to ensure that this funding is prioritised and that charities who need this support receive it as soon as possible.
On Thursday 21st May, the Prime Minister hosted a virtual summit focused on ‘hidden harms’, including child sexual abuse. The virtual summit brought key decision makers together to share insight, best practice and agree an approach for tackling these crimes as we move towards easing lockdown measures.
Ahead of the summit, the Home Secretary announced that £9.86 million is being allocated to the National Crime Agency to improve its ability to tackle perpetrators seeking to offend against children via the Dark Web. An additional £3.36 million is being committed to further improve our understanding and tackle all aspects of the child sexual abuse threat. We will also launch a £2.8 million transformation fund to promote and embed best practice in Child Sexual Abuse victim support.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect children from sexual abuse during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We are acutely aware that the necessary guidelines about social distancing and self-isolation may leave the victims of hidden crime, such as child sexual abuse, feeling especially vulnerable. For some children, home is not the safe-haven it should be and more time spent online means children may be at increased risk of harm.
In response, we are working across Government with the National Crime Agency (NCA), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC), local safeguarding partners and the third sector to assess the child sexual abuse threat during COVID-19 and ensure they have the resources they need to tackle offending and protect vulnerable children.
As part of this the Government has made £1.6 million available immediately for the NSPCC to expand and promote its national helpline for adults. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced an extra £750 million funding for charities providing key frontline services and supporting vulnerable people during the crisis. The Home Office is working closely with other government departments and the third sector to ensure that this funding is prioritised and that charities who need this support receive it as soon as possible.
We are further working across government and agencies to ensure that teachers, parents and carers have access to the support they need to help keep children safe online. As part of this the National Crime Agency have launched the #OnlineSafetyAtHome campaign, the Department for Education has published interim safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges encouraging them to disseminate advice on online safety and we have published guidance for parents and carers on gov.uk. We have also worked with our Five Country partners to galvanise industry action; in response, key industry partners have developed a campaign targeting parents, carers and children with information and advice on staying safe online.
We are also determined to ensure that all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, whether they are a child or an adult, can access the specialist support they need. Last week, we launched a funding competition for the Support for Victims and Survivors of CSA fund (SVSCSA). The SVSCSA, which we have doubled to £1.2 million, funds voluntary sector organisations providing support to victims and survivors at a national level, including through support lines, online resources and remote counselling.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to provide adequate mental health support for (a) transgender and (b) gender-questioning children in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It is up to schools to decide, in dialogue with parents, how to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pupils, including transgender and gender-questioning pupils. The Government Equalities Office has provided guidance and links to support and services for LGBT individuals, including support for children and young people. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-and-support-for-lgbt-people#children-and-young-people-up-to-the-age-of-19.
Counselling can play an effective role as part of a whole school approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing. To support the provision of counselling support in schools, the Department published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides schools with practical evidence-based advice informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling. It also offers information on how to ensure that children who have a higher prevalence of mental illness, including those who are LGBT, can access counselling provision.
This is available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.
The Government is also making sure that there is better access to specialist mental health support and treatment for pupils that need it. In March, the Government appointed the first ever National Adviser for LGBT Health in the NHS and Advisory Panel, to help improve the health and wellbeing of LGBT people. Under the NHS long term plan, mental health services will continue to receive a growing share of the NHS budget, with funding to grow by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. For the first time, funding for children and young people’s mental health services will grow faster than both overall NHS funding and total mental health spending. This will mean that by 2023/24 an extra 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25 will receive mental health support via NHS-funded mental health services and school or college-based Mental Health Support Teams.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government Equalities Office is taking steps to (a) tackle the 90 per cent termination rate following a prenatal diagnosis of Down's syndrome and (b) assess the effect of that rate on the community of people with Down’s syndrome; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We recognise the concerns that the introduction of offering non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) could have on the rate of possible terminations following a diagnosis of Down’s Syndrome. However, the key objective of NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) is to enable prospective parents to make informed choices, at each step along the screening pathway. The screening guidance and midwife training is very clear that the options should be offered sensitively and prospective parents decisions respected. Counselling is available at all stages of the screening pathway to support people to make informed choices in the event of a fetal abnormality being detected, and the decision to terminate must rest on the judgement of the woman herself and her doctors.
The national introduction of the evaluative roll out of NIPT as a contingent screening test is yet to be implemented into the NHS FASP. Once NIPT is rolled out, data on the choices women make regarding screening and/or diagnosis will be collected. Data will also be collected on the pregnancy outcomes of women who choose to have screening, and about babies born with Down’s syndrome.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what provision is made on the Parliamentary estate to (a) provide private spaces for expressing milk or feeding and (b) otherwise support breastfeeding mothers on their return to work.
Answered by Tom Brake
The House of Commons provides private spaces for expressing milk or feeding in two publicly accessible areas in the Palace of Westminster. The baby care room is located on the Upper Committee Corridor and the Health and Wellbeing space is off the Lower Waiting Hall; the Lower Waiting Hall space is available with agreement from the practice nurse if it is not being used for a medical emergency.
In addition, Commons passholders may access the first aid rooms for expressing milk or feeding by contacting the reception teams in the following buildings:
• Portcullis House
• 1 Parliament Street
• Richmond House
• Norman Shaw South
Tothill Street has a baby care room on the 5th floor.
For House of Commons and Parliamentary Digital Service staff, line managers are expected to regularly monitor the working arrangements of an expectant mother or new parent both throughout pregnancy and if the member of staff returns to work within six months after the birth or while feeding.
Parents of young children returning to work may make a request for flexible working on either a temporary or permanent basis. Examples of flexible working include part-time working and working from home.
The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) can provide practical advice and guidance as well as counselling and support on a broad range of issues including family issues and childcare support. From 1 November employees of the House of Commons, PDS and House of Lords, have been able to access this service alongside Members of both Houses and their staff.
Further support to families is also available via "My Family Care" which provides a range of practical tools and resources to support parents. The House also provides a workplace nursery and users of the House of Commons nursery also have access to the expressing and feeding facilities in the nursery based in 1 Parliament Street.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - Saffron Walden)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending statutory maternity allowance to adopting parents.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), and Maternity Allowance (MA), are paid to women to replace earnings to help them take time off work before and after their baby is born. They are primarily paid in the interests of women and their babies’ health and wellbeing. It would not therefore be appropriate to extend maternity benefits to adopting parents.
Statutory Adoption Pay is available for employees who take time off to adopt a child. Prospective adopters and children they intend to adopt are also entitled to an assessment of their family’s needs. This includes a range of support including discretionary means-tested financial support, advice, information, counselling, and support services.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the need for specific services designed to address the ongoing physiological damage of people affected by forced adoption.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government has expressed its deepest sympathy to all those affected by unacceptable adoption practices of the past by agencies run by the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. We have also expressed our deep regret that legislation at the time was not robust enough to prevent what happened. Successive governments have since taken action to strengthen the legislative framework so that it cannot happen again.
There is support for birth parents and adult adoptees who have mental health needs arising from past adoption practices. Mental health services are available through the NHS. In addition, many voluntary adoption agencies and adoption support agencies offer specialist birth family counselling, often under contract to local authorities.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the debate of 12 July 2018 on forced adoption in the UK, Official Report, column 1187, whether the Government plans to make an apology for the practice of forced adoption in UK history.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government has expressed its deepest sympathy to all those affected by unacceptable adoption practices of the past by agencies run by the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. We have also expressed our deep regret that legislation at the time was not robust enough to prevent what happened. Successive governments have since taken action to strengthen the legislative framework so that it cannot happen again.
There is support for birth parents and adult adoptees who have mental health needs arising from past adoption practices. Mental health services are available through the NHS. In addition, many voluntary adoption agencies and adoption support agencies offer specialist birth family counselling, often under contract to local authorities.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in seeking views from local authorities on the forthcoming Reducing Interparental Conflict programme and the range of interventions to be made available through it, whether local authorities were made aware that reducing couple conflict, rather than improving parenting, would be the primary goal of that programme.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We have been working closely with a wide range of local authorities to implement our Reducing Parental Conflict programme. The local authorities who will lead the areas where face-to-face interventions will be delivered have been drawn from participants in our Local Family Offer trial. So these areas have a good understanding of the need to address parental conflict, and have been working for some years to embed support for parental conflict into their services for families.
When compiling the list of interventions we plan to test as part of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme, we carefully considered the evidence of their impact on parental conflict. We recognise that variants of some programmes designed to improve parenting have content which is focused on the quality of the parental relationship. If these are delivered with fidelity they can reduce conflict between parents. We have been clear with local authorities that it is these versions that we plan to offer as part of our Reducing Parental Conflict Programme.
The organisations commissioned to deliver support in local areas under these contracts will be under contract to DWP and performance managed by this department. The local authorities hosting the contracts are fully committed to reducing parental conflict by supporting the delivery of the ten chosen interventions. We will be supporting other local areas to recognise the importance of this and embed interventions to reduce parental conflict into their services too.