Written questions by Moon.

What steps her Department is taking to improve community (a) understanding and (b) acceptance of (i) residential and (ii) support services for vulnerable children (A) in the community and (B) in the criminal justice system.

The Children’s Social Care National Framework acknowledges that receiving help from children’s social care can be a stigmatising experience and encourages practitioners from first interactions to tackle stigma, build strong relationships with children, young people and families, and communicate clearly and effectively.Through the Families First Partnership Programme, we are giving children and families access to better local support services to break the cycle of late intervention and help more children and families to stay safely together. Our reforms to Family Help will embed targeted support in the heart of communities, providing a non-stigmatising access point to a range of services to address the needs of the whole family.We are determined to address the stigma and discrimination faced by children in care and care leavers and ensure they are supported. We are prioritising extending corporate parenting responsibilities to all government departments and relevant public bodies, through measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This will ensure that policies and services take account of the challenges they face, and remove barriers and provide opportunities for them to achieve and thrive.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the position of children in social care in Camborne and Redruth constituency.

The department has announced the biggest overhaul to children’s social care in a generation, and this will ensure opportunity for all children, including those in Camborne and Redruth. Our reforms include significant new investment in children’s social care and landmark legislation through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.The local government finance settlement for 2025/26 grants councils in England access to over £69 billion in funding, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25. The settlement for 2025/26 includes a new children’s Social Care Prevention Grant, worth £270 million. In June, we announced that the total investment in children’s social care over the forthcoming spending review period will reach over £2 billion.The Families First Partnership programme is rolling out national reforms to Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making from April 2025, to help more children and families to stay safely together. These reforms are backed by over £500 million of funding in 2025/26 and we are providing all local authorities, including Cornwall, with a flexible support offer, targeted to local needs, as they transform their children’s services.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training in (a) Cornwall and (b) Camborne and Redruth constituency.

The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England, however, these estimates are not available at lower-level geographies due to limitations with sample sizes. Therefore, NEET rates for young people aged 16 to 24 in Cornwall and Camborne and Redruth constituency are not available. Statistics for England can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.Data showing the number of young people aged 16 and 17 years old who were known to Cornwall local authority and the number and proportion of those NEET or activity not known is accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5dbec461-d6ee-4ee3-19fd-08dde95206d2. These statistics are published as transparency data so some caution should be taken when using these figures.Additionally, 16 to 18 destination measures are published, showing the percentage of pupils not continuing to a sustained education, apprenticeship or employment destination in the year after completing 16 to 18 study, that is six months of continual activity. The latest publication includes destinations in 2022/23 by parliamentary constituency boundaries at that time, and data for Cornwall local authority and Camborne and Redruth parliamentary constituency can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5994cbf5-1e91-4af3-19ff-08dde95206d2.

What plans her Department has to help (a) raise the profile and (b) increase levels of use of the Best Start digital service.

The Best Start digital service is still in the early stages of development. The department is currently exploring how best to design, position and deliver the service to meet the needs of parents and families. As this work progresses, we will consider how to raise its profile and encourage take-up as part of the wider implementation approach.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Giving every child the best start in life, published on 7 July 2025, what the terms of the review into fairer funding for early years will be.

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life.The department will review early years funding, including the early years national funding formulae, consulting on a set of changes by summer 2026.We will review how funding is distributed nationally and locally to ensure the funding system remains fair and effective at reflecting the costs of delivery and supporting those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need.

What steps her Department is taking to review the legal duty of care between universities and Students' Unions.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Camborne and Redruth to the answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21514.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of risk assessments for Students' Union activities.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Camborne and Redruth to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57705.

What steps her Department is taking to improve therapeutic continuity for adoptive families.

The department has supported therapeutic continuity in a range of ways. Therapy which began in 2024/25 could continue into 2025/26 for up to 12 months under transitional funding arrangements. Applications may continue to be made for therapy lasting up to 31 March 2026. The eligibility criteria for the adoption and special guardianship support fund have remained stable, enabling children to continue receiving therapy. The department has also maintained the range of therapies which may be funded.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49523 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, what her planned timetable is for making available the equalities impact assessment.

The equalities impact assessment will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as possible.

What steps her Department plans to take to enable the inspection of multi academy trusts.

Inspection of multi-academy trusts is a complex proposal, and it is essential that we get it right to make the system fairer, more transparent and to enable direct intervention where necessary. The department is engaging with the education sector and working with Ofsted to support the development of our proposals.We remain committed to bringing multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, as set out in the government’s manifesto.

What progress her Department has made on developing a Behavioural Delivery Plan.

Children and staff should be able to learn and work in safe, calm environments and good behaviour is essential to ensuring all pupils can benefit from a high-quality education.To support schools the department has announced up to 90 new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs. These Hubs will be led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help improve their approach and drive-up standards of behaviour across our classrooms.Around 500 schools every year will benefit from intensive, one to one support and a further 4,500 schools will benefit from a schedule of termly regional events including training, best practice sharing events and open days.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure schools' policy responds to increases in Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, including for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.To strengthen inclusive practice, the department has commissioned evidence reviews from University College London to identify effective strategies for supporting children and young people (0–25) with different types of needs, including SEMH needs.High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes. From September 2025, the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum training entitlement for new teachers, with significantly more content on adaptive teaching and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), developed with input from SEND expertsTo ensure it remains effective, the department will review the ITTECF in 2027. This will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.The department also offers the Universal Services programme, which supports the school workforce in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, including those with SEMH needs.The government will expand Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. ​By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.To support education staff, the department provides guidance and practical resources on promoting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, available here: https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce numbers of people not in education, employment or training in Cornwall.

The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people and transform their life chances, including those in rural areas and the wider area of Cornwall.Young people are entitled to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The department has published guidance to help local authorities identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty or disability, or poor school attendance, so they can be given extra support.The government will establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or help to find work for all 18 to 21-year-olds, to prevent them becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age. £45 million has been allocated to eight Mayoral Strategic Authority Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The department will work with local areas on future expansion.The government recognises that transport can be an issue for some young people, particularly in rural areas. The 16 to 19 Bursary Funding is allocated directly to schools and colleges to support financially disadvantaged young people who need additional support to help them with costs such as transport. Post-16 transport guidance requires local authorities to make the necessary transport arrangements or provide financial support to ensure young people can participate in education or training.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential causes of people being not in employment, education or training in rural areas.

The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people and transform their life chances, including those in rural areas and the wider area of Cornwall.Young people are entitled to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The department has published guidance to help local authorities identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty or disability, or poor school attendance, so they can be given extra support.The government will establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or help to find work for all 18 to 21-year-olds, to prevent them becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age. £45 million has been allocated to eight Mayoral Strategic Authority Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The department will work with local areas on future expansion.The government recognises that transport can be an issue for some young people, particularly in rural areas. The 16 to 19 Bursary Funding is allocated directly to schools and colleges to support financially disadvantaged young people who need additional support to help them with costs such as transport. Post-16 transport guidance requires local authorities to make the necessary transport arrangements or provide financial support to ensure young people can participate in education or training.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle increased demand for Education, Health and Care Plans driven by Speech, Communication and Language Needs.

The department is aware that speech, communication and language needs are a key driver of the increasing demand for education, health and care (EHC) plans, and that local authorities have experienced increased demand for EHC plans and of the pressure this places on workforce capacity.The department, in partnership with NHS England, is delivering the ‘Early Language and Support for Every Child’ (ELSEC) programme. This is trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools by intervening early to reduce the need for an EHC assessment. This is being delivered through nine regional pathfinder partnerships within our special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision change programme.We also know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. That is why we introduced the speech and language degree apprenticeship, which is now in its third year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.The government is committed to funding evidence-based early language interventions in primary schools. The department has invested over £20 million in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), which is an evidence-based programme for children needing extra support with their speech and language development.

What plans her Department has to increase funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant to areas with (a) below average allocations and (b) deficits.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) distributes core funding for 5-16 year old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. The NFF allocates funding based on schools’ and pupils’ characteristics. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is allocated based on pupil numbers and characteristics.It is not the purpose of the NFF to give every school the same level of per-pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs – such as those indicated by measures of deprivation, low prior attainment, or English as an additional language – receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.The department does not fund schools based on their reserves or deficits. Schools who do find themselves in financial difficulty should contact their local authority if they are a maintained school and the department if they are an academy to see what additional support might be available.

What plans her Department has to increase guidance available to parents on SEND (a) provision and (b) support.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to publish a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) local offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have special educational needs (SEN) or are disabled, including those who do not have education, health and care (EHC) plans.The local offer has two key purposes:To provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about the available provision and how to access it.To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children and those with SEN and their parents, and disabled young people and those with SEN, and service providers in its development and review.In developing and reviewing the SEND local offer, the local authority must work in collaboration with a wide range of partners. The SEND local offer must be co-produced with parents and young people, and information on their feedback and how it has been taken into account must be published. The local authority must also work with its statutory EHC partners, including schools, colleges and early years settings and the Integrated Care Service.Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) offer information, advice and support for parents, carers children and young people with SEND. Under the Children and Families Act 2014 it is a legal requirement that all local authorities have a SENDIASS.The department additionally supports participation by parents in local and national decision making, this has included £2.66 million in grant payments direct to local parent carer forums, and funding to maintain a national helpline providing advice and support for parents and carers.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding through the National Funding Formula for (a) small schools and (b) rural schools.

The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor. This recognises that some schools are necessarily small because they are remote and do not have the same opportunities to grow or make efficiency savings as other schools, and that such schools often play a significant role in the rural communities they serve.All small and rural schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26 financial year, including the NFF lump sum, which is set at £145,100. This provides a fixed amount of funding that is unrelated to pupil-led factors. The lump sum is particularly beneficial to small schools more reliant on an element of funding that is not driven by pupil numbers.Schools can attract additional funding through the sparsity factor in the NFF if they are both small and remote. Eligible primary schools attract up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools attract up to £83,400, in sparsity funding in the 2025/26 financial year. The department is providing £100 million in total through the sparsity factor in the 2025/26 financial year.

What plans her Department has to reduce SEND funding differentials between local authorities.

The government has indicated that it will take the time needed to consider changes to the high needs national funding formula (NFF) used by the department to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities.It is important that there is a fair education funding system that reflects differences in the level of underlying need across the country and directs funding accordingly to support improved outcomes for children and young people.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children, including those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The level of funding per child in 2025/26 will allow adoptive and kinship families to access a significant package of therapeutic support. Where needed, local authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.