Written questions by Snowden.

How many children are in a residential children's home over 20 miles from their family home.

The number of children looked after who were placed in secure homes and children’s homes over 20 miles from their family home on 31 March 2024 was 4,220.This is published in Table A4 of the ‘Children looked after including adoptions’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/03be7f62-cb0e-4000-2555-08dd1b6649db.The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. Though the department wants to reduce out of area placements, they will always be part of the care landscape, as sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a child to be placed elsewhere, for example when they are at risk from domestic abuse or sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence.The department knows that children placed away from home can experience disruption to their lives and they can make it harder to maintain important relationships, such as with their birth family, education setting or wider community. This is why moving a child away is not a decision to be taken lightly and there are legislative safeguards around this. Regulations are clear that the decision to place a child outside of the local authority should have the child’s interest at heart and the child, family and independent reviewing officer’s views should be considered. It should be signed off by the director of children’s services, and all relevant parties should be notified, including the receiving local authority and safeguarding partners.This government’s proposed reforms will mean less need for distance placements. Proposals on planning permissions and process will enable providers to more easily set up homes where they are most needed. Regional care cooperatives will improve local authorities’ ability to shape the local market, and the kinship local offer requirement will encourage more kinship arrangements. We are also investing £86 million in capital funding to create up to 200 additional children’s homes beds which will help ensure more of the right provision in the right places.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of children being placed in residential children's homes more than 20 miles away from their family homes on their care.

The number of children looked after who were placed in secure homes and children’s homes over 20 miles from their family home on 31 March 2024 was 4,220.This is published in Table A4 of the ‘Children looked after including adoptions’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/03be7f62-cb0e-4000-2555-08dd1b6649db.The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. Though the department wants to reduce out of area placements, they will always be part of the care landscape, as sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a child to be placed elsewhere, for example when they are at risk from domestic abuse or sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence.The department knows that children placed away from home can experience disruption to their lives and they can make it harder to maintain important relationships, such as with their birth family, education setting or wider community. This is why moving a child away is not a decision to be taken lightly and there are legislative safeguards around this. Regulations are clear that the decision to place a child outside of the local authority should have the child’s interest at heart and the child, family and independent reviewing officer’s views should be considered. It should be signed off by the director of children’s services, and all relevant parties should be notified, including the receiving local authority and safeguarding partners.This government’s proposed reforms will mean less need for distance placements. Proposals on planning permissions and process will enable providers to more easily set up homes where they are most needed. Regional care cooperatives will improve local authorities’ ability to shape the local market, and the kinship local offer requirement will encourage more kinship arrangements. We are also investing £86 million in capital funding to create up to 200 additional children’s homes beds which will help ensure more of the right provision in the right places.

Whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to increase the number of school places in Fylde before January 2025, in the context of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees.

The department has already set out funding allocations for all schools in the current year. The removal for the school fees exemption to VAT does not change those allocations.The government has also set out that it expects the number of additional pupils joining the state-funded sector to be low, around 35,000 pupils UK-wide, which is less than 0.5% of the state-funded pupil population, over several years.The impact on individual schools and local authorities will vary and interact with other pressures. The department works with local authorities to help them fulfil their duty to secure school places. Deciding whether to move a child part-way through the school year in January 2025 is a matter for parents. Requirements for state-funded places for children that would have attended a private school will be addressed in each local authority through normal processes.