DfE confirms Zahawi as children's minister
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
The Department for Education has announced the roles and responsibilities of Nadhim Zahawi, confirming him as children and families minister four weeks after last month's government reshuffle.
Zahawi was announced as parliamentary under secretary of state at the DfE on 9 January, with CYP Now revealing two days later that he was set to take on Robert Goodwill's brief but there was no official confirmation of this from the DfE until today.
The DfE website reveals Zahawi will be responsible for children's social care including child protection, children in care, adoption, care leavers, social work, local authority performance and family law.
His responsibilities also include special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils - including the pupil premium, school sport, healthy pupils and school food, including free school meals.
In terms of early years, he will be responsible for policy relating to inspection, regulation and literacy and numeracy, as well as delivery of the 30 hours free childcare offer.
He also has responsibility for social mobility including the 12 so-called "opportunity areas" identified by government as needing additional support to improve children's social mobility.
Zahawi's brief differs slightly to that of previous children's minister Robert Goodwill - in that he will also be responsible for education policy in response to the government's race disparity audit, as well as safeguarding in schools.
Meanwhile, it does not include an element of Goodwill's brief - cadets and military ethos in the education system.
Just two weeks ago Zahawi was facing calls to resign after it emerged that he attended an all-male charity fundraising event where it is claimed female hostesses were groped and propositioned.
Prime Minister Theresa May said at the time that she accepted Mr Zahawi's explanation that he left early because it was "bizarre" and "uncomfortable", but added that she was "appalled" at reports of the event.
