Written questions by Pinkerton.

What assessment has been made of whether children’s social care practice adequately supports parents who have experienced trauma, including childhood abuse, to recover and safely parent.

The children’s social care national framework (2023) is statutory guidance that sets direction for children’s social care practice. It describes expectations for practitioners working sensitively with whole families, including to identify and address the impact of trauma. Ofsted plays a crucial role in upholding children’s social care standards. In November 2025, Ofsted confirmed they will update their Inspecting Local Authority Children’s Services inspection framework from April 2026 and continue to align inspection with the national framework.The department has also confirmed the national rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms, delivered through the Families First Partnership programme. These services will prioritise supporting the whole family and intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent problems escalating, including where there are experiences of trauma. This will require excellent place-based service design driven by local authorities working effectively with local partners, including health, police and education providers, and listening closely to families.

If she will take steps to ensure (a) trauma informed and (b) neurodiversity awareness practices across children’s social care services in Surrey.

The department is working with local authorities, including Surrey, to transform children’s social care. We have confirmed the rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms through the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion over the spending review period. The Families First Partnership programme guide sets out the expected practice changes. We are transforming the whole system of help, support and protection, to ensure that every family can access the right help and support when they need it. For some families this may involve understanding the impact of trauma or supporting those who are neurodiverse. The programme guide expects areas to develop a shared practice framework across agencies that covers the end-to-end system of help, support and protection, in line with the national framework outcomes and the requirements of the ‘Working together to safeguard children’ guidance.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that adoptive families caring for multiple children from the same birth family receive (a) tailored and (b) sustained support in Surrey Heath constituency.

As part of the criteria for the adoption and special guardianship support fund, all children must have an assessment of their individual needs completed within three months of the application submission. This ensures that any support commissioned by the local authority or Regional Adoption Agency is tailored to their circumstances.Where families adopt multiple children from the same birth family, each child is assessed separately, and each child has their own Fair Access Limit.

Whether her Department plans to review the (a) funding and (b) accessibility of the Adoption Support Fund, particularly for families with (i) complex or (ii) high risk placements in Surrey Heath constituency.

This financial year, the department has invested £50 million into the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF). We have approved applications for nearly 14,000 children since April, for both therapy and specialist assessments. We continue to review the impact of the changes to funding made in April 2025. The ASGSF was formed specifically to meet the needs of complex and high-risk placements.

What oversight exists to ensure that local authorities engage constructively with parents who raise concerns on (a) fair process and (b) statutory obligations.

Local authorities must engage constructively with parents when concerns arise about fair process or statutory duties. Oversight is provided through several mechanisms. First, parents can use the statutory three-stage complaints procedure for children’s services, which includes independent review. If they remain dissatisfied, they may escalate to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which investigates maladministration and recommends remedies to ensure fairness and compliance.Ofsted inspections also assess how effectively authorities involve parents and meet legal obligations.

Whether her Department plans to review the statutory framework governing post adoption support to help prevent avoidable family breakdowns.

The department is not currently planning to review the statutory framework for post adoption support.We are funding Adoption England £8.8 million this year to develop consistent and high quality adoption support provision across the country. This includes implementing a new framework for an early support core offer for the first 12 to 18 months after placement, rolling out a new Adoption Support Plan book for all new adoptive families, and developing a national protocol to be used for all adoption support service teams and local authority front door safeguarding services to ensure that parents receive support when they need it most and help prevent family breakdown.The department will set out plans to launch a public engagement process in 2026 to better understand how well the adoption and special guardianship support fund is working, what the evidence tells us and what further evidence is required, and importantly what is working well for families and why.

What recent discussions her Department has had with local authorities regarding the number of special educational needs and disabilities school places required to meet the needs of children in Surrey Heath constituency.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. To support local authorities with this duty, in December, the department announced at least £3 billion for high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30, to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26, which is on track to create around 10,000 new specialist places. Of this year’s funding, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million. This funding is intended to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs. It can also be used to adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of holiday club places in Surrey Heath constituency.

Through our Plan for Change, the department is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We have confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years from 2026/27, which equates to just over £200 million each year. In addition, we are providing local authorities with £12.9 million of funding in the 2026/27 financial year to help ensure sufficiency of school-age childcare. This includes supporting the delivery of sufficient holiday childcare by fostering links between holiday childcare and the HAF programme to maximise opportunities to create efficiencies and deliver a sustainable school-age childcare market. It is the duty of local authorities, under The Childcare Act 2006, to secure sufficient childcare provision to meet the needs of working parents in their area for children up to the age of 14 (or 18 for disabled children). Local authorities have flexibility in how they deliver provision to best meet local needs.

How much funding will be available for new special educational needs and disabilities schools through the Special Free Schools Programme in Surrey Heath constituency.

There are three planned special free schools in the county of Surrey. We are making a funding package available to the local authority so they can deliver the places planned for these schools themselves more quickly and with a greater focus on mainstream inclusion where appropriate. The total funding available to Surrey is up to £27 million.For the two schools in Surrey that are closest to delivery, the local authority has a choice about whether to continue with the school or take the funding package. The department will fund the capital delivery of schools the local authority chooses to proceed with in the usual way.Local authorities have until 27 February 2026 to make their decisions, and we will confirm the total funding for all local authorities, as well as the schools that are going ahead, in due course after that date.We have also confirmed that £3 billion will be invested between 2025/26 and 2029/2030 to support local authorities to create places outside of the free schools programme. Local authority allocations for 2026/27 will be published in the Spring.

How the Department plans to monitor the potential impact of changes to independent school fees on (a) schools and (b) services in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department does not monitor impact on changes to private school fees. This is a matter for individual schools.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of access to (a) specialist arts or (b) vocational training for young people in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government will consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. It will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system that breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development, and improves people’s lives.We plan to introduce V-Levels, which will become the only pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16-19 year olds and two clear post-16 pathways at level 2, alongside technical and academic pathways. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026.The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course. The scheme provides access for all students in the UK to high quality training in music and dance, such as at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and the Royal Ballet School in Richmond upon Thames.

What steps are being taken to ensure that all pupils are able to pursue (a) creative or (b) vocational education pathways in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government will consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. It will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system that breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development, and improves people’s lives.We plan to introduce V-Levels, which will become the only pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16-19 year olds and two clear post-16 pathways at level 2, alongside technical and academic pathways. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026.The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course. The scheme provides access for all students in the UK to high quality training in music and dance, such as at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and the Royal Ballet School in Richmond upon Thames.

What recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of financial support schemes for pupils pursuing specialist (a) musical or (b) dance training in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government will consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. It will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system that breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development, and improves people’s lives.We plan to introduce V-Levels, which will become the only pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16-19 year olds and two clear post-16 pathways at level 2, alongside technical and academic pathways. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026.The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course. The scheme provides access for all students in the UK to high quality training in music and dance, such as at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and the Royal Ballet School in Richmond upon Thames.

What steps her Department is taking to help support families to read with children before they start (a) nursery and (b) school in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is investing £500 million in the national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, which will be available in every local authority by 2028. These hubs bring together services for families with children aged 0 to 19, with a particular focus on support in the early years, recognising the Plan for Change’s ambition to give every child the best start in life and improve child outcomes by age 5. A key priority is strengthening the home learning environment, because what happens at home makes the biggest difference. The services provided by Best Start Family Hubs will help families to build simple, everyday routines to chat, play and read more with their children, such as sharing stories at bedtime and visiting local libraries. We also work with trusted voluntary and community partners, including the National Literacy Trust, to provide books, resources and activities that make reading fun and accessible. Alongside this, the National Year of Reading will launch in January, offering practical resources to help parents read with their children before nursery and school.

What recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of (a) suspensions and (b) exclusions among pupils with SEND in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, based on the individual circumstances of the case, when issuing a sanction and in the most serious cases exclusion may be necessary. The department regularly analyses and publishes pupil suspension and permanent exclusion data to address disproportionate impacts and remains committed to providing earlier intervention in mainstream schools, focusing on pupils most at risk of exclusion to ensure every child can achieve and thrive.

What steps she is taking to help improve child protection services in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is working closely with local authorities and their partners to improve multi-agency child protection and safeguarding. Officials meet regularly with Surrey County Council, including to discuss local child protection delivery.We are providing £2.4 billion over the next three years for the Families First Partnership programme to support local areas to embed reforms across Family Help, multi-agency child protection, and family group decision-making. Effective multi-agency child protection arrangements are vital to prevent children from slipping through the cracks.These teams will bring multi-agency expertise and a clear focus to identify and respond decisively to all forms of significant harm from inside and outside the home and online.The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will deliver the biggest overhaul of children’s social care in a generation. It puts multi-agency child protection teams on a statutory footing, improves information sharing within and across agencies, and ensures education and childcare settings are part of local safeguarding arrangements.

What steps she is taking to help increase levels of attainment in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed.Through the government’s Plan for Change, the department is giving every child the best start in life and has set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn. This is backed by an investment close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education.Building on this work, the department is driving high and rising standards in every school to strengthen attainment and outcomes for all children.This includes regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, recruiting an additional 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools, and colleges, and a refreshed high quality curriculum and assessment system.Alongside this, we are working to address barriers to learning, including rolling out free breakfast clubs and tackling school absence in all schools, including in Surrey Heath, as well as tackling child poverty through our historic Child Poverty Strategy that will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030.We know there is further work to do, which is why our upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a school system that drives educational excellence for every child, no matter their background or circumstances.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

This financial year, the department has invested £50 million into the adoption and special guardianship support fund. We have approved applications for nearly 14,000 children since April, for both therapy and specialist assessments. We continue to review the impact of the changes to funding made in April 2025.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that specialist speech and language therapies are available to children with education, health and care plans in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This includes extending the Early Language Support for Every Child programme, trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.In addition to the undergraduate degree route, speech and language therapists can also train via a degree apprenticeship. This route is now in its fourth year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a speech and language therapist, helping to grow the pipeline.

What steps she is taking to improve education on (a) sexual consent and (b) relationships in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department published updated relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance in July 2025. It includes a focus on building healthy relationships skills from the start of primary school and sets out that secondary schools should cover the role of consent, including how to recognise, respect and communicate consent and boundaries in both platonic and romantic relationships.Pupils should be taught the law about the age of consent, that they have a choice about whether to have sex, and their capacity to give, withhold or remove consent at any time, even if initially given. They should also be taught that that there are a range of strategies for identifying, resisting and understanding pressure in relationships from peers or others, including in relation to sex, and how to avoid putting pressure on others.