To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support improved provision of services by local authorities for vulnerable children.
Answered on
24 October 2019
All children, no matter where they live, 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. Overall, 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.
However, funding to local government is only part of the solution. We are also implementing an extensive programme of reforms designed to deliver improved outcomes for these children, young people and families. This includes investing £84 million over the next 5 years in targeted, evidence-based interventions to improve the support provided to vulnerable children and their families and enable more children to stay at home thriving in stable family environments. On top of this, we have committed nearly £270 million since 2014 to drive improvement and innovation in children’s social care.