Children’s Social Care North-east England 2025-02-05

Opened the debate

I am glad to have secured the debate on children's social care in the north-east of England. I visited Caedmon primary school, which serves a diverse community and families from various economic backgrounds. The cost of uniforms is a financial barrier for many families due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and two decades of austerity. The project at Caedmon helps parents save hundreds of pounds every year by organising uniform drives and swap shops. I also raised concerns about child poverty, low life expectancy, high levels of economic inactivity, low pay, and increasing mental health issues among children, especially since the pandemic. Chronic underfunding has led to many children reaching crisis point and entering the care system. The funding for children’s services is incredibly important; Gateshead council's budget was cut by £31 million since 2010, impacting children’s services significantly.

Government Response

The minister did not provide a formal response within this debate transcript. The interventions were supportive comments from other Labour MPs, focusing on various aspects of children’s social care and initiatives in the north-east. I congratulate Mark Ferguson on securing this debate. Gateshead council achieved a “good” rating across all areas of its children’s services in the Ofsted report, highlighting strong early help service and robust multi-agency collaboration. Two-thirds of council children’s services in the north-east are rated either “good” or “outstanding”. The number of children in care has grown faster in the north-east than any other region. The Government outlined their vision to reform the children’s social care system focusing on early support, preventing crises and keeping families together. We are committed to ensuring that young people leaving care have stable homes, access to health services, support for lifelong relationships, and opportunities for education, employment and training. Additional funding has been given to local authorities to provide extra support for high-risk care leavers at risk of rough sleeping. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes measures to limit the number of branded uniform items that schools can require. We are working on delivery plans for new breakfast clubs from April. In response to mental health, we are determined to make sure that children have the support they need in our schools and being delivered by our health services. A £40 million package has been announced to trial a new kinship allowance, ensuring transparency and accessibility of information for kinship families.