§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are taking to strengthen the role of the corporate parent to ensure that looked-after children reach their full potential. [100735]
§ Mr. HuttonOn 21 September 1998, we launched the £375 million three-year Quality Protects Programme which is designed to improve the management and delivery of children's social services. There is a particular emphasis on improving the life chances of children looked after by local authorities.
Chief executives have an important responsibility for ensuring that their council acts as corporate parents to the children in their care and that all council departments play their part in the implementation of Quality Protects. Chief executives are required to approve the Quality Protects Management action plan and to ensure that it is not seen solely as a Social Services document.
As part of the Quality Protects programme the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health have jointly drafted guidance on the education of children looked after by local authorities. This is specifically aimed at assisting local authorities in their role of corporate parent to promote and support the education of their looked-after children.
Elected councillors have a vital role to play in ensuring that Quality Protects has the corporate commitment needed to deliver good life chances for vulnerable children. The Government in partnership with the Local Government Association have recently sent a Guide on Quality Protects to all councillors reminding them of their corporate parent responsibilities and giving guidance on their role in implementing Quality Protects.
We believe that local authorities' responsibilities towards young people in and leaving care should correspond more closely to those of responsible parents. That means providing more support and assistance for children beyond the age of 16. The Children (Leaving Care) Bill, which had its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 7 December, will change the system to give young people the support they need and deserve in 625W preparing for and leaving care. Young people in and leaving care should be able to expect this from their corporate parent.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources the Government are planning to set aside to provide training for foster carers and residential care staff about the education system and on ensuring that children in their care are in appropriate education. [100721]
§ Mr. HuttonWe are providing £2 million funding through a sub-programme in the training support programme (TSP) in 1999–2000 for training foster carers, with emphasis being put on the attainment of level 3 of the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Award "Caring for Children and Young People". This award contains a unit of competence entitled "Promote and Maximise Educational Opportunities and Achievements for Individual Children and Young People", which describes best practice in supporting children and young people to sustain and/or access educational or learning opportunities, or return to education. It is intended to continue this sub-programme for the next two years at the same rate.
The TSP also includes a £2.5 million sub-programme for residential child care staff to attain their level 3 NVQ in the "Caring for Children and Young People" award. This programme will also continue for the following two years but will rise to £3 million next year.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of this year's school leavers who are looked after by local authorities are in(a) further or continuing education, (b) employment and (c) training. [100737]
§ Mr. HuttonInformation on the education of looked-after children is not currently collected centrally. The Department has established a new statistical collection to obtain information of this kind from local authorities in England. The first figures will be published during 2001.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many looked-after children(a) have statements, (b) are placed in day special schools, (c) are placed in residential schools and (d) are in schools for children with educational and behavioural difficulties. [100733]
§ Mr. HuttonAt 31 March 1999, about 1,000 looked-after children were placed in residential schools. Information on the numbers of looked after children attending day special schools or schools for educationally and behaviourally difficult children is not collected centrally. The Department has established a new statistical collection to obtain information on outcome indicators for looked-after children, including the numbers with statements of special educational needs. The first figures will be published during 2001.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities have a designated post with responsibility for the education of looked-after children. [100736]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is not available centrally.
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§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets, including GCSE targets, the Government are setting for looked-after children. [100619]
§ Mr. HuttonWe have set National Priority Performance Target no. xiii
Improve the educational attainment of children looked after by local authorities, by increasing to at least 50 per cent. by 2001 the proportion of children leaving care at 16 or later with at least a General Certificate of Secondary Education or General National Vocational Qualification; and to 75 per cent. by 2003".The Quality Protects programme sets out national objectives for improving children's services. Objective 4 focuses on improving the educational outcomes for children looked afterto ensure that children looked after gain maximum life chance benefits from educational opportunities, health care and social care".There are a number of sub-objectives towards bringing the overall performance of looked-after children in National Curriculum tests closer into line with local children generally.The Department has established three new statistical collections to obtain information about the education, training and employment of looked-after children, both while they are in care and after they have left care. The first figures on educational attainment will be published in the autumn of 2000.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plan to take to reduce the number of moves in care for looked-after children. [100732]
§ Mr. HuttonWe are committed to ensuring that children should have as stable an experience as possible while looked after by local authorities. Stability of carer is essential for a child to have a successful outcome from care. The three-year Quality Protects programme, launched in September 1998, has as one of its key objectives to increase the choice of adoption, foster and residential placements for looked-after children because, without a good choice, inappropriate placements are made, which result in placement breakdown. Placement choice is a priority area for expenditure of the children's social services special grant in 1999–2000 and remains a priority for 2000–01. A significant target which we set out in the National Priorities Guidance is for local authorities to ensure that the number of children looked after who have three or more placements does not exceed 16 per cent. by 2001.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure that local authorities have adequate data on the educational achievements attained and choices post-16 of looked-after children. [100734]
§ Mr. HuttonOne of the projects within the Quality Protects programme is working with local authorities to determine their basic information requirements for managing and planning children's services. This is exploring both the specification of the data requirements and the systems used to collect and analyse them. Information on the educational attainment of children looked after, and indeed children in need more generally, will certainly be included along with other outcome 627W measures of children's welfare. The improvement of management information is one of the priorities for expenditure of the children's social services special grant.