§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what work his Department has undertaken on the potential for domestic violence work to be done via the new children's centres. [178993]
§ Margaret HodgeChildren's centres have the flexibility to develop family support services according to local need. Many Sure Start local programmes already operate a range of initiatives related to tackling domestic violence, and we will look to build on this good practice as the children's centre network expands.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skill (1) what assessment he has made of the availability of materials to educate children and young people about domestic violence; how many schools had access to such material in(a) 2002 and (b) 2003; and how many now have access to such material; [178819]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary with regard to including information about domestic violence in the personal health and social education curriculum. [178822]
§ Margaret HodgeWithin Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship there is already scope to discuss domestic violence, including how families deal with it and where to go for help. Individual schools and teachers decide on the materials they use in the delivery of PSHE. The Department does not assess the availability of materials.
Last year the DfES supported the production of a resource pack for schools called "Watch Over Me" which deals with a range of personal safety issues including a domestic violence scenario. The resource was sent to all secondary schools and pupil referral units. A teaching pack called "Does Sex Make a Difference?" which includes a module on domestic violence, is available to all schools through the teachernet website.
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§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what work the Minister for Children has undertaken to ensure that information sharing systems provide adequate protection for children whose mothers have experienced domestic violence and moved away from a violent partner. [178820]
§ Margaret HodgeThe information-sharing databases that we propose to establish and operate under clause 8 of the Children Bill will have stringent security arrangements to ensure that only appropriate practitioners are able to access a child's record. Audit trails will enable those managing the databases to identify attempts to gain inappropriate access. Regulations will be made in due course governing the disclosure of information from the databases. Detailed guidance will be produced for practitioners and those managing the databases, to ensure that information on the databases is handled properly and consistently. This guidance will draw on the experience of the Trailblazer pilots currently and way.
We will als examine with these pilots what is the best way to handle the details of children whose mothers have experienced domestic violence and have moved away from a violent partner. A number of pilots have the facility for certain details, such as address, to be blocked out where that is considered necessary to provide reassurance. Subject to the passage of the Children Bill, the proposed regulations and guidance for wider roll-out of information-sharing databases will include any specific arrangements we conclude are necessary for the records of children in such circumstances.