Children’s Commissioner to give evidence to Lords committee inquiry on child vulnerability

She will be joined by Martin Lennon, Senior Adviser on Children’s Services, at the Commissioner’s Office.

This evidence session will be streamed live on Parliament TV.

Likely questions include:

• What effect will the Government’s decision to end the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift have on the number of children living in poverty? How will this decision affect children’s services?
• What is the relationship between poverty and child vulnerability to criminal exploitation and risks within the home such as parental addiction, mental health or domestic violence issues?
• Sir Kevan Collins, the former Government Education Recovery Commissioner, told the Committee that the £1.4 billion announced by the Government for its school catch-up programme was insufficient to meet the scale of the challenge. Do you agree and, if so, how much would you like to see invested in the education recovery programme over the next three years?
• Dame Andrea Leadsom told us that universal access to Family Hubs should be at the centre of government efforts to reduce inequalities in children’s outcomes. Do you agree, and if so, how many Family Hubs would be needed across the country to ensure universal access, and how much would they cost?
• Would you like to see the Government invest additional resources to ensure a more rapid expansion of mental health support teams?