Former Social Worker becomes DfE minister

Janet Daby, Labour MP for Lewisham East, has been appointed as a minister in the Department of Education (DfE).

Janet previously worked in fostering, initially as a social worker and then as the registered manager of an independent fostering agency. She then went on to work as a social work consultant before becoming a Labour MP in 2018.

She held various shadow ministerial positions while Labour were in opposition, most recently in relation to youth justice.

The new education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has not yet allocated portfolios to her new ministers so it is not yet clear whether Daby will take responsibility for children’s social care issues within the DfE.