Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available for young people who suffer adverse effects to their mental health and well-being after not passing the 11-plus exam.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Schools that Work for Everyone consultation outlined proposals for increasing the number of good school places available, including proposals to allow existing selective schools to expand and new selective schools to open. We proposed in the consultation that new and expanding schools should ensure that there are opportunities to join selective schools at different ages, such as 14 and 16, as well as 11. The consultation closed on 12 December. The government is considering the submissions received and will publish its response in due course.
Good mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental health. There is a lot that schools can do to prepare pupils well to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good teaching is one of the most important factors in making sure that pupils feel ready. Good leaders know that positive mental wellbeing supports attainment, and make that part of the overall school ethos.
We want to look across the whole school system to identify where mental health provisions need to be improved, whether that is in schools or how we better connect schools into services that may be more specialised. We have supported schools by:
The Prime Minister’s speech in January has further emphasised this Government’s commitment to improve mental health for all children and young people and announced that the Departments for Health and Education would publish a green paper on CYP’s mental health
The Green Paper aims to secure effective activity from prevention to provision of specialist support, at different stages and different settings across health, education and care settings, as well as access to services, and the role of social media.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist bereavement counselling services for women and their families who have experienced stillbirth or infant death are provided by NHS trusts.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This information is not held centrally.
In Our Commitment to you for end of life care: The Government Response to the Review of Choice in End of Life Care (2016), the Government committed the Department to ‘work with system and voluntary sector partners to identify bereavement care pathway exemplar models to be shared widely across the National Health Service so that for instance, a hospital in the East of England can learn from and implement the good bereavement practice of a service in the West’. This will help to ensure that all parents receive the appropriate level of bereavement care they need.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to improve the aftercare and bereavement counselling services for women and their families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death.
Answered by Philip Dunne
It is important that women and families who have experienced loss and bereavement are offered the right care and services to support them. NHS England is developing a ‘toolkit/resource pack’ to assist local services in capturing the experiences of loss and bereavement in a sensitive and evidence based manner. This will be used by Local Maternity Systems as they develop and implement action plans to transform maternity services in their locality.
In Our Commitment to you for end of life care: The Government Response to the Review of Choice in End of Life Care (2016), the Government committed the Department to ‘work with system and voluntary sector partners to identify bereavement care pathway exemplar models to be shared widely across the National Health Service so that for instance, a hospital in the East of England can learn from and implement the good bereavement practice of a service in the West’. This will help to ensure that all parents receive the appropriate level of bereavement care they need.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice is offered to expectant mothers on post-natal support for disabled children.
Answered by Philip Dunne
If testing during pregnancy indicates the baby will be born with a disability, the parents should be offered counselling to allow them to discuss the impact of the diagnosis. They may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children who are disabled, who can also tell them more about the condition and answer any questions they may have.
NHS Choices has extensive information on caring for ill and premature babies and has dedicated information on babies born with disabilities. It signposts some of the voluntary bodies that can be of assistance, for example, BLISS, Contact a Family and Disabled Living Foundation plus information available from local authorities on local organisations that may be able to help. This information can be found here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/baby-special-intensive-care.aspx
Public Health England's Start4Life Information Service for Parents - a subscription email service for parents-to-be and parents of children aged up to five - includes guidance for parents of disabled children on the sources of support available, including financial assistance.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what help and advice on charitable post-natal support is available to expectant mothers who are due to give birth to a severely disabled child.
Answered by Philip Dunne
If testing during pregnancy indicates the baby will be born with a disability, the parents should be offered counselling to allow them to discuss the impact of the diagnosis. They may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children who are disabled, who can also tell them more about the condition and answer any questions they may have.
NHS Choices has extensive information on caring for ill and premature babies and has dedicated information on babies born with disabilities. It signposts some of the voluntary bodies that can be of assistance, for example, BLISS, Contact a Family and Disabled Living Foundation plus information available from local authorities on local organisations that may be able to help. This information can be found here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/baby-special-intensive-care.aspx
Public Health England's Start4Life Information Service for Parents - a subscription email service for parents-to-be and parents of children aged up to five - includes guidance for parents of disabled children on the sources of support available, including financial assistance.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides to women who are (a) expecting and (b) have given birth to a baby with Down's syndrome.
Answered by Philip Dunne
If testing during pregnancy indicates the baby will be born with Down's syndrome, the parents should be offered genetic counselling to allow them to discuss the impact of the diagnosis. They may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children with Down's syndrome, who can also tell them more about the condition and answer any questions they may have. This may include information on the support available.
We know around 750 babies a year are born with Down’s syndrome. For many this will involve an early intervention programme, which is a special programme that aims to help a child with learning disabilities develop, as well as provide support to the family, from health visitors and midwives.
An early intervention programme can include:
- speech and language therapy – to help with any problems communicating or feeding;
- physiotherapy – to help with any muscle weakness or movement difficulties; and
- individual home teaching programmes.
Related health conditions, such as heart disorders, and thyroid conditions, are supported by paediatric services and other secondary care.
More detailed information for parents is also available from NHS Choices.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will review the effect of SATs in primary schools on children's mental health.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Good mental health and resilience are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing.
Good schools manage tests appropriately, and there is a lot that teachers can do to help prepare pupils to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good school leaders know that positive mental wellbeing, as part of a ‘whole-school’ ethos, along with good teaching, supports pupil attainment.
The Government considers the impact of primary testing on all children as a matter of course, and we listen to the views of parents on an ongoing basis. Tests are an established and valuable part of a child’s education. Tests in primary school are not examinations and should not put pressure on pupils. They are about helping teachers to identify where additional support is needed and ensuring that schools are accountable for the education that they provide.
We trust primary school teachers to use their experience and professional expertise to administer assessments in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing.
We know that recent reforms to primary assessment have represented a significant change for schools and these will need time to embed. We are committed to listening to teachers and parents to ensure primary assessment arrangements are proportionate as well as robust.
To support schools to understand signs of stress and mental ill-health and to provide support to their pupils, the Government has funded MindEd to develop a free, on-line resource for all professionals, including teaching staff, working with children and young people to access information about mental health issues. We also funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health in PSHE. In addition we have published guidance on behaviour and mental health, which sets out how schools can identify problems and seek support, as well as a blueprint for effective school-based counselling to help schools provide access to support.
However, teachers are not mental health specialists and need to know how to help pupils access specialist support. We contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to improve local knowledge and develop effective referrals to allow pupils to access timely specialist support where needed.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to hold discussions with parents on the effect on children's mental health of primary school SATs.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Good mental health and resilience are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing.
Good schools manage tests appropriately, and there is a lot that teachers can do to help prepare pupils to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good school leaders know that positive mental wellbeing, as part of a ‘whole-school’ ethos, along with good teaching, supports pupil attainment.
The Government considers the impact of primary testing on all children as a matter of course, and we listen to the views of parents on an ongoing basis. Tests are an established and valuable part of a child’s education. Tests in primary school are not examinations and should not put pressure on pupils. They are about helping teachers to identify where additional support is needed and ensuring that schools are accountable for the education that they provide.
We trust primary school teachers to use their experience and professional expertise to administer assessments in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing.
We know that recent reforms to primary assessment have represented a significant change for schools and these will need time to embed. We are committed to listening to teachers and parents to ensure primary assessment arrangements are proportionate as well as robust.
To support schools to understand signs of stress and mental ill-health and to provide support to their pupils, the Government has funded MindEd to develop a free, on-line resource for all professionals, including teaching staff, working with children and young people to access information about mental health issues. We also funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health in PSHE. In addition we have published guidance on behaviour and mental health, which sets out how schools can identify problems and seek support, as well as a blueprint for effective school-based counselling to help schools provide access to support.
However, teachers are not mental health specialists and need to know how to help pupils access specialist support. We contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to improve local knowledge and develop effective referrals to allow pupils to access timely specialist support where needed.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address mental health issues in children potentially caused by pressure at school.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Good mental health and resilience are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing.
Good schools manage tests appropriately, and there is a lot that teachers can do to help prepare pupils to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good school leaders know that positive mental wellbeing, as part of a ‘whole-school’ ethos, along with good teaching, supports pupil attainment.
The Government considers the impact of primary testing on all children as a matter of course, and we listen to the views of parents on an ongoing basis. Tests are an established and valuable part of a child’s education. Tests in primary school are not examinations and should not put pressure on pupils. They are about helping teachers to identify where additional support is needed and ensuring that schools are accountable for the education that they provide.
We trust primary school teachers to use their experience and professional expertise to administer assessments in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing.
We know that recent reforms to primary assessment have represented a significant change for schools and these will need time to embed. We are committed to listening to teachers and parents to ensure primary assessment arrangements are proportionate as well as robust.
To support schools to understand signs of stress and mental ill-health and to provide support to their pupils, the Government has funded MindEd to develop a free, on-line resource for all professionals, including teaching staff, working with children and young people to access information about mental health issues. We also funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health in PSHE. In addition we have published guidance on behaviour and mental health, which sets out how schools can identify problems and seek support, as well as a blueprint for effective school-based counselling to help schools provide access to support.
However, teachers are not mental health specialists and need to know how to help pupils access specialist support. We contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to improve local knowledge and develop effective referrals to allow pupils to access timely specialist support where needed.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that family members who report paedophilia to the police are treated as victims instead of witnesses.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Unless a person is the subject of the abuse or behaviour reported to the police then they are not a ‘victim’ for the purposes of a criminal investigation or prosecution. A person who makes a complaint where they have not themselves suffered abuse, or is the subject of a complaint made by others, is a ‘witness’ in terms of involvement or participation in the Criminal Justice System process.
However, the police recognise the vulnerability of witnesses from family environments in coming forward to report such crimes. The College of Policing have published Authorised Professional Practice (APP) to assist the police in managing complex child abuse investigations.
The APP provides that where there may be an impact on those associated with the victims then support groups are available “to provide counselling and advice to those who have been affected by allegations of abuse involving persons close to them, such as relatives and associates of victims, witnesses and suspects. Some specialist sexual violence and abuse support services may also be available locally, offering support for victims and others, including siblings and non-abusing parents or carers. Details of these support groups should be made available to those who may need them. Children’s social care also has a role in taking account of any impact on the victims and others