Question: What is meant by a vulnerable child?

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak
section_headers: Prioritising pupils
How are vulnerable children defined?
section_content: During the coronavirus outbreak vulnerable children and young people are
defined as those who:

are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child
have an education, health and care (EHC) plan and it is determined, following a risk assessment, that their needs can be met as safely or more safely in the educational environment; or
have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by education providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued education provision - this might include children and young people on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services, adopted children, those at risk of becoming NEET (‘not in employment, education or training’), those living in temporary accommodation, those who are young carers, and others at the provider and local authority discretion

Read the guidance on how schools should continue to support vulnerable
children.
*[EHC]: Education, Health and Care

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This explains exactly and in detail how "vulnerable child" is defined.
This is a direct answer to the question. It contains information and explanation on people who are defined as vulnerable children and young people.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus outbreak
section_headers: Prioritising children
How are vulnerable children defined?
section_content: The government encourages vulnerable children and young people to attend
educational settings, unless they have underlying health conditions that put
them at severe risk.
During the coronavirus outbreak, vulnerable children are defined as those who:

are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked after child
have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, and it is determined, following risk assessment, that their needs can be as safely or more safely met in the educational environment
have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued educational provision. This might include children on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services, adopted children, those who are young carers, and those living in temporary accommodation
and others at the provider’s and local authority’s discretion

Vulnerable children’s attendance is encouraged, where it is appropriate for
them. A brief summary of attendance expectations, across the different groups
of vulnerable children and young people, is as follows:

for vulnerable children who have a social worker, attendance is encouraged where this is appropriate in line with the advice set out by Public Health England
for vulnerable children who have an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan, attendance is encouraged where it is determined, following risk assessment, that their needs can be as safely, or more safely, met in the educational environment
for vulnerable children who are deemed otherwise vulnerable, at the childcare setting, school or local authority’s discretion, attendance is encouraged where this is appropriate

Educational providers, local authorities, social workers, parents/carers, and
other relevant professionals (where applicable), should work together closely
to consider factors, such as the balance of risk, including health
vulnerabilities, family circumstances, risks outside the home, and the child
or young person’s assessed special educational needs. Further detail on
supporting vulnerable children is set out in Supporting vulnerable children
and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19)
outbreak.
*[EHC]: education, health and care

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answers the question directly. This answer provides information and explanation on vulnerable children and also recommendation for their education during the coronavirus outbreak
This is a long, detailed explanation of exactly how "vulnerable child" is defined.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus outbreak
section_headers: Prioritising children
What should happen to vulnerable children if their provider is closed?
section_content: Where the setting which vulnerable children usually attend is closed, the
setting should notify the local authority (and social worker, where relevant)
that these vulnerable children need alternative provision. Settings should
work with the families of vulnerable children and local authorities (and
social workers, where relevant) to support this.
Where a setting has closed, and a child moves to a different early years
setting, the closed provider should do whatever it reasonably can to provide
the receiving setting with any relevant welfare and child protection
information. The receiving setting should be aware of the reason the child is
vulnerable and any arrangements in place to support them. As a minimum, the
receiving setting should, as appropriate, have access to a vulnerable child’s
EHC plan, child in need plan, child protection plan or, for looked-after
children, their personal education plan, and know who the child’s social
worker is (and, for looked-after children, who the responsible virtual school
head is).
The transfer of necessary information should ideally happen before a child
arrives at the new setting and, where that is not possible, as soon as
reasonably practicable. Any exchanges of information will ideally happen
between the designated safeguarding leads (or deputies), and/or between
special educational needs co-ordinators/named individual with oversight of
special educational needs provision for children with EHC plans.
Whilst providers must continue to have appropriate regard to data protection
and General Data Protection Regulation GDPR, they do not prevent the sharing
of information for the purposes of keeping children safe. For more information
please read the Department for Education’s guidance: Information sharing
advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young
people, parents and carers
guidance.
*[EHC]: education, health and care

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This does not answer the question. This information is about alternative provision for vulnerable children whose setting is closed. It does not provide any information on what is meant by vulnerable children.
This mentions vulnerable children, but does not define what a vulnerable child is.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Bad