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Written question asked by Jim Cunningham (Labour) on Tuesday, 29 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 November 2019 (named day). It was answered by Michelle Donelan (Conservative) on Monday, 4 November 2019 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Children: Protection

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to local authorities to improve their support for vulnerable children.

Answer

All children should have access to the support they need to keep them safe, provide them with a stable and nurturing home, and overcome challenges to achieve their potential. That is why at the Spending Round 2019, the government confirmed an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care in 2020-21 in addition to the continuation of all existing social care grants.

Local authorities core spending power is expected to rise from £46.2 billion to £49.1 billion in 2020-21, an estimated 4.3% real terms increase.

We also provide targeted help and support to drive improvement in local authorities. We are investing £20 million in regional sector-led improvement to get ahead of failure. Our strong ‘Partner in Practice’ authorities have already helped over 70 local authorities, getting upstream of the risk of failure, with work underway to broker support for many more.

Additionally, we are investing £2 million in improving leadership in children's services with support being delivered through the Local Government Association. In addition to the £84 million targeted fund, Autumn Budget made £410 million available to local authorities for adults and children’s social care in 2019-20.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
7038
Session
2019-19
Subjects
Children Local government Protection
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk