Children, Schools and Families, Department for

UK government department, originally established in 1944 as the Ministry of Education. It merged in 1995 with the Department of Employment. In June 2001 the department, then known as the Department for Education and Employment, split into two, creating the DfES and (with the former Department of Social Security) the Department for Work and Pensions. Under its new name from June 2007, the DCSF has responsibility for school standards and educational attainment and integrated children's services. The secretary of state for children, schools and families is Ed Balls (from 2007). There are two ministers of state and two parliamentary undersecretaries, and the department has a staff of 3,000.