Question follow-through · 129145

Offences against Children

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on engaging directly with survivors of historic abuse rather than referring them to external insurance solicitors.

answeredDepartment for Education

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body: Department for Education
Tabled: 22 Apr 2026
Target answer date: 27 Apr 2026
Answer: 29 Apr 2026 · 7 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Education and skills

Children in Care: Personal Records · 23 Apr 2026
Children in Care: Personal Records · 23 Apr 2026
Care Homes: Offences against Children · 23 Apr 2026
Care Homes: Offences against Children · 23 Apr 2026
Care Homes: Offences against Children · 23 Apr 2026

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Recorded timeline

22 Apr 2026
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on engaging directly with survivors of historic abuse rather than referring them to external insurance solicitors.
27 Apr 2026
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
29 Apr 2026
Answer published
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children in Care: Personal Records

23 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms exist to ensure that local authorities provide timely access to historical care records for former looked-after children who make such requests.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children in Care: Personal Records

23 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of missing or incomplete historic records relating to children’s homes and local authority care files.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Care Homes: Offences against Children

23 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of historic safeguarding failures at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Richmond upon Thames.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Care Homes: Offences against Children

23 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the support currently available to survivors of abuse linked to former children’s homes such as Grafton Close.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Care Homes: Offences against Children

23 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors reporting historic abuse in children’s homes receive consistent and transparent engagement from responsible local authorities.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Care Homes: Offences against Children

27 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will establish an independent review into Richmond upon Thames Council’s handling of safeguarding concerns at Grafton Close children’s home.

Strong linkSame MP, department and exact heading

Offences against Children

27 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities investigate historical safeguarding failures where new survivor testimony emerges.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Offences against Children: Richmond upon Thames

18 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will establish an independent review into Richmond upon Thames Council’s handling of safeguarding concerns at Grafton Close children’s home.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Offences against Children: Victims

18 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities investigate historical safeguarding failures where new survivor testimony emerges.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children in Care: Personal Records

18 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms exist to ensure that local authorities provide timely access to historical care records for former looked-after children who make such requests.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Social Services

18 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of missing or incomplete historic records relating to children’s homes and local authority care files.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Offences against Children: Richmond upon Thames

18 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of historic safeguarding failures at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Richmond upon Thames.