wrans/answers2025-02-07 conversation_191
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-07 conversation_191

Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) child poverty, (b) access to mental health services and (c) the provision of adequate support for vulnerable children. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government is committed to providing timely support to children and families that need help, and our mission-driven approach is critical to delivering this. In particular, through the missions to break down barriers to opportunity, and to make the NHS fit for purpose, we will focus on ambitious, measurable long-term objectives.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to learn and to prosper.

The Child Poverty Taskforce, which is co-chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, will harness all available levers to drive forward action across government to reduce child poverty. More detail on the approach and priorities for the strategy is set out in the publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which was published on 23 October and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.

The department is taking steps to reduce the cost of living through our action on the high cost of branded school uniforms and commitment to roll out free school breakfast clubs for primary school-aged children from April this year. The government has also extended the Household Support Fund until the end of March 2026.

To improve access to mental health services, we have committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. This support is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will put in place a package of support to drive high and rising standards throughout our education and care systems so that every child can achieve and thrive. It will protect children at risk of abuse, stopping vulnerable children falling through cracks in services and deliver our commitments on children’s social care to ensure that all children can thrive in safe, loving homes.

Across the department, we are already prioritising work that seeks to join up services and provide better local support for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and families to give all children the best start in life. This includes local multi-agency safeguarding partnerships, Family Hubs and targeted programmes like Supporting Families.

Family hubs provide access to vital services to improve the health, education and wellbeing of children, young people, and their families. They aim to make a positive difference to parents, carers and their children by providing a mix of physical and virtual spaces, as well as outreach, where families can easily access non-judgmental support for the challenges they may be facing. Staff at family hubs can connect families to a range of health and education services.