Children's Social Care

Josh MacAlister, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, Janet Daby, what steps the Government plans to take to reform children's social care. In her response, the Minister acknowledged the importance of reforming children's social care to deliver the Government's "opportunity mission" and ensure that a child's background does not limit their ambition. She stated that the upcoming children's wellbeing Bill will remove barriers to opportunity and deliver the manifesto commitments on children's social care, with the aim of ensuring that all children have a chance to thrive in safe, loving homes. In a follow-up, Mr. MacAlister thanked the Minister for her answer and noted that it has been over two years since he published the independent review of children's social care, which called for a radical reset of the entire system. He expressed that the previous Government had taken some modest steps, but failed to realize the full potential of the review. Mr. MacAlister then asked the Government if they intend to prioritize the resources needed to implement the review in the upcoming spending review. The Minister acknowledged the work done by Mr. MacAlister on the independent review and stated that the Government is considering it as part of their reform programme. She reiterated the Government's commitment to reforming children's social care, as evidenced by the upcoming children's wellbeing Bill. However, the Minister also acknowledged the challenging economic circumstances they have inherited and stated that a full programme for delivery will be produced to support the commitment. George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, then intervened, highlighting the complicated issues around early years, including lack of preparation and learning difficulties, that many schools have been dealing with during the pandemic. He asked the Minister to reassure him that the upcoming Budget will pay real attention to supporting the early years network and better integrating mental health support, learning difficulty support, and social care support, as these children are living one life and need only one network of support. The Minister thanked Mr. Freeman for his explanation of the various challenges faced by young people and children. She acknowledged that if she had a crystal ball, she would be able to explain what will happen in the spending review, but stated that as the Government moves forward with the children's wellbeing Bill, they will bring clarity to some of the reforms. The Minister also noted that the spending review will reveal where the Budget lies in these matters.