To receive a verbal update on the work of the County Council Corporate Parenting Steering Group from the Council’s representative.
Minutes:
Councillor Yvonne Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Regulatory Services and the Council’s representative on the Worcestershire County Council Corporate Parenting Board (CPB), provided Members with an oral update on the work of the Board. It had been agreed that an item from the Portfolio Holder updating Members on the work of the Board would appear on all Executive Committee agendas from hereon, in light of the outcomes of the Ofsted Inspection of Children’s Services and Review of the effectiveness of the Local Safeguarding Children Board in late 2016. The CPB was a means of securing elected Member engagement with the issues affecting children in care. The Portfolio Holder updates to Executive would help to disseminate relevant information in a public arena, to show that work was being carried out and would allow questions to be raised on this.
Councillor Smith proceeded to give a detailed oral update as set out below.
1. The CPB was a cross-party advisory body to Worcestershire County Council’s Executive and others, on matters concerning Looked After Children (LAC; children and young people either in Foster Care or in Children’s Residential Care) and Care Leavers.
2. It existed to ensure that the needs of LAC and Care Leavers were met.
3. It had no decision-making powers.
4. It was chaired by County Councillor Marc Baylis who was responsible for Children, Families and Communities.
5. It met at least six times a year.
6. Membership of the CPB comprised 6 County Councillors and one Councillor from each of the Worcestershire District/Borough Councils.
7. A number of County Council Officers (including Catherine Driscoll as the responsible Director), District/Borough Council Officers and representatives from various partner agencies such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Babcock Prime and the Community and Voluntary sector such as Swanswell also attended the meetings.
8. Children and young people from the Who Cares We Care Children in Care Council and Speak Out Care Leavers Council also attended to represent the voices of the children and young people.
9. Listening to the LAC was a golden thread running through the Board to provide children and young people with an opportunity to help shape the services they received.
10. Reports and presentations were taken to the CPB for consideration and at the 2nd February 2017 meeting the following items were discussed:
· a presentation on the Care Leavers’ Strategy and Strategic Plan;
· the Annual Corporate Parenting Board report;
· a report on Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children;
· Council key issues debate feedback;
· the Corporate Parenting Strategy and Pledge;
· the Children’s Services Ofsted Report relating to Corporate Parenting; and
· the CPB’s Work Programme.
11. District responsibilities were mostly about providing an appropriate place for Care Leavers to live and to prevent them from going into bed and breakfast accommodation.
12. It was crucial that the district housing departments received sufficient notice that a Care Leaver was about to leave care and confirmation that the Care Leaver had the ability to manage their tenancy.
13. Sadly some care leavers did not have the basic skills to manage their finances, to cook and clean and could get into difficulties with their tenancies.
In closing, Councillor Smith read out the following quotes:
From the Care Leavers’ Strategy by Eleanor Schooling, Ofsted National Director of Social Care, December 2016:
“Care is what we receive from our family and friends. Sometimes we forget that it can be as simple as having supportive and healthy relationships with people who care about us. As Corporate Parents, we try to replicate that relationship as closely as possible, so that Care Leavers get the same support that many of their peers get as they begin adulthood.”
And from a young person who attended a CPB meeting:
“We don’t need you to know us personally but we want to know that you think of us and our needs when you are planning services.”
Members thanked Councillor Smith for the comprehensive update. It was agreed that the best approach was for Councillor Smith to continue to provide oral updates in the future, unless she felt that a written report was more appropriate. As this was the first update which had contained a lot of background information it was requested that a detailed minute be provided for this. A query was raised as to whether Members should be sent a copy of the CPB minutes. Councillor Smith responded that the meetings were not open to the public and that all reports were marked not for publication. She was unsure as to why the Board minutes were not made public and confirmed that she would check with the County Council why this was the case, and would seek confirmation from them as to what information could and could not be obtained.
Councillor Smith confirmed that the next CPB meeting was due to take place on Thursday 6th April 2017, which she would update Members on at the June Executive Committee meeting.
RESOLVED that
the update be noted.