A not-for-profit training provider is being pursued by the Department for Education for over £100,000 in overclaimed funding due to multiple breaches of adult education funding rules.
Brixton-based Lionheart in the Community Limited (LITC) was subject to an investigation by the then-Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in September 2024 over its advanced learner loans funding claims going back to 2021-22.
Investigators found LITC had claimed area uplift funding – a per-student top-up for learners in areas of the country where delivery costs are higher – for training that took place online, and found some delivery had been subcontracted to another training provider.
Area uplifts should not be claimed for online delivery, and subcontracted delivery was not permitted in the years LITC claimed for, the report said.
Subcontracted delivery was discovered when learners named a different training provider, which wasn’t named in the investigation report, to LITC as the one responsible for their training.
LITC now has to pay back £111,234. DfE said “action is underway” to recover the funding.
However, LITC leaders have disputed the investigation’s findings. They said the “very small” sample of learners contacted by investigators was not enough to draw conclusions and claimed that the investigators’ focus on 2021-22 and 2022-23 meant “refinements” to their delivery and quality assurance were not fully taken into account.
LITC also said they were not allowed to dispute the subcontracting findings, noting that investigators relied on learners’ recollection of where their training took place up to four years prior, with some “understandably” recording their employer or work placement host.
They said an offer to commission their own audit to aid the investigation was refused unless it covered 100 per cent of learners over the three-year period.
Helpful advice
In order to help other providers avoid breaching the rules, DfE’s investigation reports contain a “prevention” section with advice.
In this case, DfE’s “prevention analysis exercise” found the breaches could have been avoided if the provider had “complied” with the rules and had “adequate” internal audit and quality assurance.
LITC describes itself as a “dynamic social enterprise” that reinvests its profits into community projects. It had around 530 adult learners on its books when it was last inspected by Ofsted in 2023 and currently advertises Access to HE diplomas and courses at levels 3 and 4 across a range of subjects, including business, accounting, personal training, health and social care, beauty and education.
It received an advanced learning loan allocation of £2.4m for 2025-26, down from £3m last year.
Investigations
This is the third training provider called out by DfE investigations so far in 2026.
Systemic contract breaches led to a £1.2 million repayment demand to Park Education and Training Centre last month. Investigators found a catalogue of missing or unverifiable evidence around learner eligibility, off-the-job training records and apprentice wages. The owner contested the fairness of the investigation.
And Pathway First Limited, part of Pathway Group, was made to repay £54,000 after it was found to have issued qualifications that learners had not studied and claimed funding for learners it could not evidence. A spokesperson said the breaches related to “isolated” and “historic” activity and have now been remedied.
Ofsted is requesting education providers publish a QR code link alongside any content they share from new report cards to help prevent leaders “cherry picking” grades shared with parents and stakeholders.
Sir Martyn Oliver said last month he wanted parents to see the whole report, not just the best parts of it.
He announced the watchdog would be introducing QR codes, but it would not be mandatory for schools, colleges and training providers to publish these.
Today, Ofsted has written to education providers on how to use them in marketing materials.
“As there is no overall judgment to publicise, you are free to highlight your inspection results as you wish – perhaps by listing grades or quoting verbatim from your report card,” they said.
“However you choose to present printed content from your Ofsted report card, we request that you only do so alongside our new official QR code ‘badge’.”
FE Week understands there is no legal requirement for education providers to publish them and there won’t be any consequences.
Oliver said today: “The beauty of our new report cards is the clear picture they offer about a provider’s strengths and areas for improvement across a wide range of areas, without that blunt one-word judgement casting its shadow over the detail.
“Schools, colleges and nurseries are free to promote and celebrate their successes in any way they wish. But it’s important that parents and carers have easy access to their full inspection report card too, so they can understand those findings in their full context.
“We hope our new QR badges will be a really useful addition to banners, brochures and leaflets and, crucially, they will help us maintain transparency and accessibility in sharing inspection outcomes.”
The badges can be downloaded from the bottom of each education provider’s page on the Ofsted website.
Colleges should report concerns about a student carrying a weapon and make sure they review internet filtering system effectiveness at least once a year, draft new safeguarding guidance states.
While the draft guidance includes a new section on young people questioning their gender which says colleges should take a “very careful approach” to social transition, it also includes other important new proposals for colleges.
Here’s everything colleges need to know…
1. ‘Very careful’ approach to social transition
The draft guidance contains a new section on supporting children questioning their gender following the landmark Cass review.
The guidance states schools and colleges should not initiate any action and take a “very careful approach in relation to social transition, with parents involved in the “vast majority” of cases.
Draft guidance also makes it clear that there should be “no exceptions” for single sex facilities in colleges, including toilets and changing rooms, but that colleges should “take time to sensitively explain” this to young people who are socially transitioning.
Draft guidance states staff should report concerns about a student carrying a weapon, using a weapon or expressing intent to use one to the dedicated safeguarding lead (DSL).
The DSL should then assess the risk and take “appropriate action”, including any action to de-escalate peer conflict.
It also reiterates old guidance that states all staff should be aware of indicators of a child involved in serious violence, with risks higher for children with disrupted education.
“Early, evidence-based support for those considered at risk, as well as in ‘teachable moments’ when issues emerge is vital. This includes access to trusted adults, social and emotional skill support, and, where available, targeted interventions such as mentoring or therapeutic support.”
3. Mental health as a safeguarding concern
New draft guidance makes it clear that mental health problems “in some cases can develop into safeguarding concerns”, including self-harm or risk of suicide.
The previous guidance stated staff should be aware that mental heath problems can indicate a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation. Only medical professionals should diagnose a child, it added.
4. Clearer guidance on filtering
The proposed guidance says that colleges should “regularly review the effectiveness” of filtering and monitoring systems on college devices at least once every academic year.
Previously, guidance said colleges had to monitor the effectiveness of its systems but did not give a timeframe.
5. ‘Deepfakes’ are child-on-child abuse
The draft guidance contains updated categories of child-on-child abuse to reflect technological advances.
This includes “consensual and non-consensual sharing of self-generated intimate images and/or videos including those generated using AI e.g. deepfakes”.
It added misogyny is a form of harmful sexual behaviour, as well as sexual violence and harassment.
It also explicitly states that upskirting is a criminal offence to reflect the law changes.
6. New domestic abuse reporting duty
The draft guidance also includes new details on ‘operation encompass’, the statutory duty for police to notify a child’s school or college if they believe a child may be a victim of domestic abuse.
It states police should share the child’s name and details, their relationship to the victim or perpetrator, a police reference number, details of the incident and “the voice of the child, such as what they are saying and how they are behaving”.
The draft guidance also states colleges must comply with data protection laws during the operation encompass process, which involves sensitive information.
An ex-trainee lecturer must pay £19,000 towards her union’s costs after a judge ruled she pursued discrimination claims with “no reasonable prospect” of success.
Chido Muswere lost claims of direct race discrimination, harassment and victimisation against the University and College Union (UCU) last year following her dismissal from a teaching role at Burnley College in 2022.
Employment tribunals rarely award costs. UCU’s legal bill exceeded £56,000, but the judge capped the award at £20,000. Muswere was instructed to pay £19,000 in a costs order published last week.
UCU applied for costs against Muswere on two grounds; that Muswere’s conduct was “unreasonable” during proceedings and that her claim had “no reasonable prospect of success”.
The tribunal heard Muswere was warned between 2024 and 2025 that her allegations against the UCU were unsupported by evidence.
“She simply would not countenance the possibility that she had not been discriminated against, irrespective of the evidence (or lack of it),” the judge said.
The judge acknowledged the cost order would represent a “substantial debt burden”, but concluded Muswere had the earning capacity to pay it over time.
Muswere told FE Week she believed the tribunal had “mischaracterised” her actions and confirmed she intended to seek a reconsideration of the costs order. She is also appealing the earlier ruling that dismissed her discrimination claims.
“At the minute, I’m not planning on paying anything because I’m not really sure what I’m paying for,” she said.
The 29-year-old added her litigation over the past several years had impacted her financially, but she was prepared to pursue further appeals.
Muswere, a black British woman, was dismissed seven months into a 12-month probationary period while training to teach business studies at Burnley College in 2021.
She alleged her dismissal was racially motivated and cited concerns including teaching observations, disciplinary processes and the handling of CCTV footage.
All claims against the college were dismissed. The tribunal accepted the college’s evidence that her dismissal related to performance concerns and misconduct.
After seeking advice from the UCU following her dismissal in March 2022, Muswere brought separate claims against the union, alleging its representatives had failed to properly challenge the college’s actions and had “diminished” discriminatory treatment.
Those claims were also dismissed. The tribunal found UCU officials had acted in good faith.
The UCU declined to comment on active legal proceedings.
When I was at school, I was told not to do an apprenticeship.
But at 15, I managed to secure work experience with an exceptional employer, an opportunity that very few young people get.
That work experience at engineering consultancy Arupchanged my life. It opened my mind to a world of opportunity and all of a sudden, I knew taking an apprenticeship with them was the route for me.
It didn’t come without challenges, both from peers and teachers, who questioned my choices and wondered if I was jeopardising my education. But I knew better, and undertaking a level 3 apprenticeship aged 16at Arup was the best decision I could have made.
I’m now a fully qualified data scientist at the firm, having completed my level 6 digital and technology solutions professional degree apprenticeship, and I was lucky enough to start my level 7 apprenticeship before they were defunded.
Our survey said
As the voice lead for the Association of Apprentices (AoA), I am delighted to share the responses from over 4,500 apprentices across the UK who took part in the Big Apprentice Survey Report 2026.
Seeing the data come together was eye-opening because behind every statistic is someone trying to build a future through an apprenticeship.
There is a lot to be positive about. Many apprentices report improved confidence, practical skills and a clearer sense of direction.
A quarter of apprentices tell us they would not be in their industries without the apprenticeship route, myself included, and this increases to over a third if those apprentices were entitled to free school meals. However, the data in the survey also shows that experiences are not equal.
Apprentices who received free school meals are more likely to report suffering financial pressure and higher stress. Apprentices who report having a disability are significantly more likely to experience stress and anxiety.
These differences are not about ability or potential. They often come down to the support surrounding an apprentice and how well employers and providers understand individual needs.
I’ve been fortunate to have strong support from my employer. Not everyone gets that.
The survey shows that where apprentices feel well supported by managers and mentors, they are more likely to progress, gain pay increases and feel stable in their roles. Support isn’t just a “nice to have” – it really does change lives.
One finding really stayed with me: over 80 per cent of apprentices don’t feel confident that their views are heard by government.
Apprentices live this system every day. We know how off-the-job training fits into real workloads. We know where communication works and where it doesn’t. We understand the pressures of balancing work, study and life. That perspective should be part of the evolution of government policy.
Cost-of-living pressures have overtaken all other stressors
Being involved with AoA has shown me how powerful it is when apprentices have a platform and a voice.
AoA is free for apprentices to join, which matters because cost should never be a barrier to receiving support and accessing a community.
Through AoA, apprentices connect with others, share experiences and gain recognition for what they achieve. Sometimes just knowing you’re not the only one facing a challenge can make a huge difference.
The results weren’t just about numbers; they were about highlighting where apprentices are thriving and where change could help level the playing field.
Compared with last year’s survey, which gathered just over 2,000 responses, this year’s 4,500 respondents show a clear shift: stress related to work-life balance has risen, cost-of-living pressures have overtaken all other stressors, and career progression has now surpassed work experience as the most valued aspect of an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships have huge potential. They can open doors for people with different learning styles, backgrounds and starting points. My own journey shows that.
But if we want apprenticeships to work for everyone, the views of apprentices cannot be an afterthought.
Listening to apprentices isn’t about criticism, it’s about improvement. It’s how we build a system that works in the real world, not just on paper.
Behind every data point is a person trying to build their future.
Leadership and management apprenticeships are on the chopping block under plans to find savings and tilt the apprenticeship system towards young people, Jacqui Smith has confirmed.
The skills minister told FE Week the popular programmes, along with other unnamed “higher level” standards, are “not only not what people would traditionally think of as apprenticeships, but also things that people traditionally have thought of as employers funding [themselves]”.
“So yes, that will be one of the areas,” she confirmed when asked whether leadership and management apprenticeships were up for defunding consideration.
Smith added the government would have “more to say about which of those apprenticeship standards we think aren’t appropriate for public funding” but did not commit to a timeframe or scale of impact.
Leaders have warned that removing public funding from leadership and management apprenticeships would be a “disorientating shock” for many employers who have “never been told that levy funding is not theirs to use as they see fit”.
Value for money
Employer anxiety has grown over potential cuts to management courses and industry progression routes amid mounting apprenticeship budget pressure in recent months.
A “streamlining” review was signalled by chancellor Rachel Reeves in November’s budget, when she reiterated that the government would refocus apprenticeships on young people and simplify the system to ensure better value for money.
Ministers are concerned about spiralling numbers of expensive higher-level apprenticeships being taken up by older workers, while starts at lower levels and among young people have crashed.
Apprenticeship starts at level 2 have plummeted almost 60 per cent from 161,390 in 2017-18, the year the apprenticeship levy was introduced, to 65,680 in 2024-25, while starts at level 3 shrunk 12 per cent from 166,220 to 147,090 over the same period.
Meanwhile, starts at level 4 and above, which are more costly to deliver, rocketed 192 per cent from 48,150 to 140,730.
FE Week understands that officials are scrutinising apprenticeships that resemble continuing professional development instead of discrete occupations, and are mostly taken by older workers.
Management standards are the most popular in terms of starts across most apprenticeship levels.
FE Week analysis of the government’s latest full-year data shows that at level 5, the operations manager apprenticeship recorded the most enrolments in each of the past three years, hitting triple the number of starts as the next most popular (leader in adult care) in 2024-25.
The chartered manager degree apprenticeship was the most popular at level 6, the senior leader programme was the most prolific at level 7, and at level 3 the team leader standard was consistently the second most popular.
Most starts on these standards are from people aged 25 and older.
The total number of people aged 24 or younger starting an apprenticeship fell by 22 per cent, from 220,280 in 2017-18 to 172,240 in 2024-25.
Starts for people aged 25 and older have shot up by 17 per cent from 155,480 to 181,270 over the same period.
During an interview withThe Times last month, former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into the rise in young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), said it was a “crazy” fact that a significant number of them go to people over the age of 40.
“Ask any member of the public what they think an apprenticeship is,” Milburn said. “It’s an entry opportunity for young people, not in-work training for older people.
“So we’ve got to look at all of these things and we’ve got to look at where we’re spending public money.”
Traditionally speaking
The government has already moved level 7 apprenticeships out of public funding for people aged 22 and older.
FE Week asked skills minister Jacqui Smith what else was in the firing line in terms of the government’s streamlining efforts during an interview for National Apprenticeship Week at a site visit to Kier Group (pictured above) this week.
She said officials were looking “very carefully at areas that don’t have many starts” before confirming that management apprenticeships were under real threat of defunding.
“We’re working with employers, and we’ll have more to say about which of those apprenticeship standards we think aren’t appropriate for, essentially, public funding,” she said.
Asked directly whether she was referring to management apprenticeships, the minister replied: “I think there are elements in some of the higher-level apprenticeships, some of the areas of leadership and management, where not only are these not what people would traditionally think of as apprenticeships, but there are also things that people traditionally have thought of as employers funding [themselves]. So yes, that will be one of the areas.”
While the government is engaged in a streamlining effort, officials are also set to bring on board new short courses to be funded through the levy from April. Smith told FE Week, however, that the initial offer would be “tight” (click here to read full story).
That’s Asda price
Defunding of popular management apprenticeships is expected to cause outrage among employers.
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) launched a petition last month to show the removal of management apprenticeships would undermine productivity in industrial strategy sectors, as well as other critical areas such as retail and hospitality.
It has around 5,000 signatures so far, including testimonies from big-name employers such as Amazon, BAE Systems, Heathrow, Barnardo’s, John Lewis, Kier Group, Lloyds Bank and Marie Curie.
James Goodman, supermarket giant Asda’s chief people officer, said: “Reports that the government plan to defund leadership apprenticeships would clearly be a further backward step, that would cut off proven progression routes and weaken the sector’s ability to develop future leaders.”
Matthew Percival, future of work and skills director at the CBI, said businesses were “deeply disappointed that ‘how can we unlock business investment in skills’ has been replaced with ‘where is the least damaging place to cut’”.
“With each new announcement, the levy looks more like a tax and less like a ‘use it or lose it’ incentive to invest in training,” he added.
Every little helps
The levy is generating more cash contributions than expected and is estimated to raise £4.4 billion this financial year.
England’s apprenticeship budget for 2025-26 has received an in-year top-up worth £43.2 million, bringing it up to a record £3.118 billion. Deducting the £500 million paid to the devolved nations, it means the top slice the Treasury takes between how much the levy generates and how much is dished out for apprenticeship spending hits around £780 million.
Percival said: “It [the levy] takes more money out of employers’ training budgets than it adds to government-directed programmes, reducing total investment in training. Turning this around starts with transparency about where levy receipts go, not only how the skills budget for England is spent.”
Ben Rowland, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, added: “Removing public funding from leadership and management apprenticeships would be a disorientating shock for many employers who have never been told that levy funding is not theirs to use as they see fit.
“Not only are these skills vital for productivity and growth, they are vital if these employers are going to be in a position to take on NEETs into their workforces. Government has to pause and rethink these proposals from a whole system perspective.”
Sources told FE Week that government officials could link the streamlining efforts to new apprenticeship units, in some cases turning full apprenticeships into fundable shorter courses.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the threat of restrictions to management apprenticeships was “damaging business confidence and would be counterproductive to growth”.
“It is vital that apprenticeship units deliver the promised flexibility and help to address the training gaps created by the removal of level 7 provision or defunding of management and leadership training at any level,” a BCC spokesperson said.
Employers will face no cap on the amount of levy funding they can spend on new apprenticeship units when an initial “tight group” launches in April, skills minister Jacqui Smith has said.
FE Week understands as few as eight short courses will initially be fundable through the reformed growth and skills levy from the new financial year – with seven in engineering and construction and one in AI.
News of the limited first wave comes just weeks before the government’s rollout date, with no detailed announcement yet published on the units’ content, duration, funding bands or assessment arrangements.
Damp squib
Last year, the Labour government confirmed it would introduce new short courses, dubbed ‘apprenticeship units’, from April in priority sectors aligned to the industrial strategy.
FE Week understands the initial batch will focus on areas such as heat pump installation, EV charging point installation, solar panel installation and welding, with another on AI for business leaders.
Ministers have indicated further units will follow after April.
Asked by FE Week this week why no details had yet been published, Smith said: “They have been in development, and we will launch a quite tight group of apprenticeship units in April.
“We will make more announcements about exactly what it is [that] will be developed as apprenticeship units, or will be delivered as apprenticeship units post-April.”
Unlimited power?
In 2022, while in opposition, Labour committed to widening the apprenticeship levy so employers could spend up to 50 per cent of their contributions on non-apprenticeship training.
But the threshold was missing from the party’s election manifesto and ministers have moved away from the 50 per cent figure and refused to confirm a cap since entering government.
Smith confirmed no fixed limit had been set when asked what proportion of levy contributions employers could spend on the new apprenticeship units from April.
“It is important that there is this flexibility as well as new foundation apprenticeships and shorter duration apprenticeships,” she said. “The ongoing development of apprenticeship units that can be part of that.
“We have not set a specific contribution precisely because what we’re interested in is the flexibility that enables employers to use what they need in order to develop their workforce.
“So, looking at what we are doing, both the tilt to young people, which we’ve been very clear that we will use policy to achieve, and also delivery against the industrial strategy.”
Pressed on whether this effectively meant employers will have an unlimited use of levy funds for non-apprenticeship training, Smith replied: “Well, I didn’t say it was unlimited. I said there isn’t a set percentage of flexibility.
“There isn’t going to be an overall level of the apprenticeship levy that is used on flexibility, but we’ve gone much further than the plans in opposition, in terms of how we can flex the levy, and we’re continuing to talk to employers.
“We’re continuing to use Skills England to identify where the flexibility is needed, where we need short courses, where we need to update apprenticeships, where we need to develop new areas of skills and apprenticeships.”
‘Paltry’ offer compared to Labour’s commitment
Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute, said the limited number of units would disappoint employers.
“We think employers should have broader flexibility to spend part of their levy on training that isn’t apprenticeships, so a total of just eight units almost all in construction or engineering wouldn’t be enough and would likely seem quite paltry to a lot of employers compared to Labour’s promise of up to 50 per cent flex for all employers.”
He added any flexibility “should have a cap so the primary focus is on apprenticeships”, and flagged an L&W blueprint for a “flex and match” levy that argued employers which invest more in youth apprenticeships should get greater flexibility.
Hannah Larsen, policy officer at the British Chambers of Commerce, said setting no limit for the flexibility would simplify the system, but warned the initial offer was too restricted.
“If funding for apprenticeship units is not limited then it will provide a level playing field for businesses on flexibility and make the system easier to administer.
“But it is disappointing that just eight apprenticeship units are being offered, especially considering the likely defunding of management and higher-level apprenticeships.
“While it makes sense to start with areas facing dire skills shortages, there are many other sectors where firms need to upskill people quickly.
“Hopefully, further apprenticeship units will quickly be rolled out so that more businesses and employees can benefit.”
The Department for Work and Pensions said it would provide further information “in due course”.
Colleges have been told to take a “very careful approach” to social transition requests from gender-questioning students under long-awaited new government guidance.
The Department for Education (DfE) is consulting on draft guidance on supporting children and young people aged under 18 who are questioning their gender, which, if signed off, would become part of the statutory keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) guidance.
College leaders have urged the sector to respond to the consultation so the final guidance “recognises that children of different ages face different types of risks” and “have greater personal agency”.
It comes after the landmark Cass Review of gender care services for under-18s, which found “remarkably weak” evidence around medical interventions in gender care, with a lack of research available.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the proposed guidance should “give teachers the clarity they need to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of gender questioning children and young people”.
‘Very careful’ approach
The guidance states colleges should take a “very careful approach in relation to social transition”.
“The Cass Review acknowledged that there is a lack of good evidence on the long-term impact of social transition on young people, but it is clear that social transition should be viewed as an active intervention that may have significant effects on the child or young person in terms of their psychological functioning and longer-term outcomes.”
The guidance states that parents should be involved in the “vast majority” of cases in which a young person questions their gender. However in cases where involving parents or carers “would constitute a greater risk than not involving them,” college designated safeguarding leads (DSL) get to decide next steps.
What is in the best interests of the child may be different to the child’s wishes, the draft guidance adds.
The guidance uses “child” throughout to describe under 18s.
Polly Harrow, DfE’s further education student support champion and vice principal at Kirklees College, said the guidance “will be welcomed by the FE sector”.
She added: “The guidance is useful for all educators and gives clear information and advice on an issue that needs clarity and sensitivity.”
Colleges “should not initiate any action regarding social transition”, and the guidance only applies where a young person or their parent has made a request, it states.
The first step for colleges is to consider what is in the best interests of the child and other children.
“Schools and colleges should consider everything that could be affecting a child, including whether they have any wider health issues or neurodiversity,” the draft guidance states.
‘No exceptions’ for single-sex facilities
The draft guidance said there are “no exceptions” for single sex facilities in colleges, including toilets and changing rooms.
It states colleges should “take time to sensitively explain” that supporting social transition “will not include allowing access to toilets, changing rooms or boarding or residential accommodation designated for the opposite sex”.
Young people undergoing social transition will not be allowed to join PE classes for the opposite sex where there are safety reasons for single-sex classes, the draft guidance adds.
But colleges have some flexibility over the use of children’s names.
The draft guidance states “supporting social transition might consider discussing options with pupils and staff, such as using names instead of pronouns”.
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said the guidance “may need to go further in acknowledging that older children, including college students, often have personal agency and different relationships with their families.
“The college sector will respond to the consultation in detail, and we hope that this will lead to a better document that will help staff to support and safeguard all their students.”
‘Pragmatic support for teachers’
Phillipson said the draft guidance will “give teachers the clarity they need to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of gender questioning children and young people.
“This is about pragmatic support for teachers, reassurance for parents, and above all, the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.”
It has also been backed by Dr Hilary Cass, who led the government review into gender care services for under-18s in 2024.
“The updated guidance is practical and reflects the recommendations of my review, giving schools much-needed clarity on their legal duties so they can support children with confidence,” Cass said.
