Our session on Covid-19, vulnerable children and children's services has started.

In our first panel we'll hear from:
@dkgill, CEO @TheDifferenceEd
Peter Sandiford, @ichaceo
Kevin Williams, CEO @fosteringnet

Watch live: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/327c1b75-b0d7-4d96-8dd5-e6f3d90534a1

Follow for tweets

@halfon4HarlowMP asks whether looked after children been offered additional support to continue learning in lockdown? Peter Sandiford @ichaceo replies that most children’s homes have not sent their children to school. It’s been challenging without clear central guidance

@halfon4harlowMP asks if the Government’s definition of vulnerable children protects all children at risk during the pandemic, or should it be widened? Kevin Williams @fosteringnet says if the definition is widened, we need more resource for local authorities.

@halfon4harlow asks @dkgill about school exclusion risks during COVID-19. @dkgill says that numbers of excluded children may rise because many more will have experienced trauma that can escalate behavioural challenges, especially if staff aren't given the tools to tackle this.

@IanMearnsMP asks whether demand has pushed referral thresholds up in children's services. Peter Sandiford @ichaceo makes the case for residential care as an effective early intervention, and Kevin Williams @fosteringnet adds that local authority cuts have had an impact.

Responding to @IanMearnsMP, @dkgill calls for a 'vulnerability premium' which would work in parallel with the pupil premium to fund the sometimes 'really fantastic' work that schools are doing with children who have experienced trauma.

@DSimmonds_RNP asks what is the impact of lockdown on placements and moves for children? Kevin Williams @fosteringnet says young people have felt more settled. We’ve learnt some things from lockdown, such as the essential nature of the foster carer's relationship with the child.

@halfon4harlowMP asks about the effectiveness of Ofsted during the pandemic? Kevin Williams @fosteringnet says the guidance from Ofsted has been helpful, and they’re offering a lot of pragmatic support which has helped build a dialogue with providers.

@dkgill adds that suspending inspections has been useful during the crisis, but there are concerns about the long term effect in terms of having visibility of off-rolling, and PRU quality.

@IanMearnsMP asks about Government advice for children’s homes. Peter Sandiford @ichaceo says until the last two weeks there was no clear guidance. Track and trace raised anxiety that children's homes may have to shut if a member of staff had the virus.

@KimJohnsonMP asks if we are facing a state of emergency with foster carer numbers. Kevin Williams @fosteringnet says we need to focus on retaining the existing workforce, and there is a potential crisis if we don't look after the workforce today. Peter Sandiford @ichaceo agrees.

@drcarolinej asks Kevin Williams @fosteringnet to clarify why so many foster children missed out on education during lockdown. Kevin says school communication with foster carers varied across the country. 62% in their survey had no contact from their virtual school.

In response to @david4wantage, @dkgill says more research needs to be done on what improves attendance amongst vulnerable children. Where complex drivers lie behind lack of attendance, the blunt instrument of fines might not be enough.

@IanMearnsMP asks whether demand already outstrips supply in PRUs. @dkgill says it does, and the funding formula is not fair, with outstanding provision being forced to close. 'We are already at crisis point' with PRU funding.

@halfon4harlow asks about the general picture for alternative provision and pupil referral units. @dkgill says we don't have the data on what is happening for those students. Attendance has been low, and research is needed on what works so other providers can replicate it.

@halfon4harlowMP asks for final thoughts. Peter Sandiford @ichaceo says please don't rush back to saying everything has to be face to face rather than virtual. Kevin Williams @fosteringnet adds that the best way to ensure good educational outcomes is to enable stable placements.

Our second panel has now started. We will be focusing on the work of children's services and local authorities during the pandemic.

We'll hear from:
John Coughlan @hantsconnect
@YvetteStanley18 @Ofstednews
Ian Thomas @RBKingston

Watch live: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/327c1b75-b0d7-4d96-8dd5-e6f3d90534a1

@halfon4harlowMP asks whether witnesses were surprised that so few vulnerable children were in school during lockdown. @YvetteStanley18 says families of children with complex needs heard the public health message to stay at home as well as everyone else.

Ian Thomas @RBKingston says there have been concerns about attendance, but "we don't know what good looks like" in this scenario. John Coughlan @hantsconnect adds that the situation was unprecedented and it was hard to get many of these children into school at the best of times.

Yvette Stanley @Ofstednews says we want to be as helpful as we can in resetting the system, helping children's services and schools use the learning from the pandemic, and that's Ofsted’s focus. If we could go back, we would be clearer about our expectations of schools.

In response to @drcarolinej, Yvette Stanley @Ofstednews says she understands the frustration with the lack of contact from schools for some vulnerable children. During Autumn assurance visits, Ofsted will facilitate learning and look at what went wrong.

In response to @tomhunt1988, Yvette Stanley says that @Ofstednews has and will make judgements where there are concerns about safeguarding going forward, but they work to their commission from @educationgovuk.

In response to @KimJohnsonMP Ian Thomas @RBKingston says schools’ ability to be the 'eyes and ears' of safeguarding has been diminished during lockdown, as it has for other universal services and the voluntary sector.

John Coughlan @hantsconnect adds that he is more worried about the children going under the radar than the ones that we already know are vulnerable.

@IanMearnsMP asks about @educationgovuk guidance. Ian Thomas @RBKingston says the DfE have been helpful working with local authorities. The timeliness of the guidance, and in some cases a lack of clarity, have been challenges - but "we were operating in the eye of the storm."

John Coughlan @hantsconnect suggests that guidance may have been too reactive and too fast. Colleagues in @educationgovuk have been supportive, but he is not sure of the status that social care has within the DfE.

In response to @DSimmonds_RNP, Ian Thomas @RBKingston says over the last ten years councils have spent less money on supporting children and more on protecting them. We still have this big problem of rising costs for children in care and not enough money for early intervention.

John Coughlan @hantsconnect says he would not support an approach to school deficits to match that in the NHS. It would not recognise the good work of schools who have kept their head above water in very difficult times.

Yvette Stanley, responding to @david4wantage says that some older children have thrived with virtual contact. Others have found the isolation very hard. John Coughlan @hantsconnect adds that teenagers sometimes like talking to a screen more than talking to a person.

@ApsanaBegumMP asks what needs to change with exclusions policy in September? Ian Thomas @RBKingston says it’s about putting the holistic needs of children at the centre of plans for returning to school. The priority is integration.

John Coughlan @hantsconnect adds that the whole system approach with people working together to avoid exclusions is key. We need a focus on the inclusion functions of mainstream schools.