To review the progress of the corporate parenting strategy.

The committee received a report which provided an update on the corporate parenting strategy and action plan ahead of its presentation to Cabinet. The Head of Looked After Children (HLAC) introduced the report and provided an update on actions undertaken on the scrutiny committee’s recommendations on the Corporate Parenting Strategy. It was explained that challenges remained to ensure members completed the skills directory, finding more apprenticeships at the Council for LAC and the current level of LAC in the county. 

The committee raised the issues below in the discussion that followed:

·         Detail was requested of the LAC who had attended university and whether they had now found employment. The HLAC confirmed that this information would be provided;

·         It was recognised that progress had been made in certain areas of the action plan.

·         The committee highlighted the importance of all members completing the skills directory and also identifying where potential work opportunities existed in their wards. Details of the number of LAC looking for opportunities was requested and it was suggested that detail regarding the type of placements sought was compiled and the economic development team encouraged to work with micro business to identify potential placements. The Cabinet Member Young People and Children’s Wellbeing confirmed that members would be contacted individually to encourage greater engagement with corporate parenting responsibilities and to request details to include in the directory. Work was ongoing to include a social value element to contracts the council procured to include opportunities for LAC. The HLAC confirmed that approximately 20 LAC were looking for opportunities. 

·         The committee encouraged corporate parenting to be presented at the forthcoming parish summit.

·         The committee emphasised the importance of the early help and the edge of care service which had been recognised by Ofsted and the peer review. The Director of Children’s Wellbeing explained that as part of the budget setting process for 2019/2020 resources concerning an edge of care service would be evaluated.

·         It was recognised that LAC had concessions to leisure facilities and it was felt that such concessions to cultural providers locally should also be explored. It was suggested that the chair of the committee writes to local cultural providers to request concessions for LAC.

·         The committee requested detail of how unsuitable accommodation was defined. The HLAC explained that unsuitable accommodation was accommodation which was not felt to be meeting the needs of LAC, including sleeping on sofas, being in inappropriate relationships. Better recording of accommodation had been achieved through Mosaic and a reduction in the number of LAC in bed and breakfast settings had been achieved.  

·         Detail of progress with the savings proposal to reduce the numbers of looked after children was requested. The DCF confirmed that there had been progress in meeting the needs of some looked after children in different family based arrangements and that the directorate was delivering on its medium term financial savings target for this area.  However the expenditure on LAC in the current year would exceed planned spending. This was down to a number of reasons including the number of LAC had increased in the current year, the number of residential placements had increased significantly this year compared to what was planned for and there was a lack of placement choice that contributed to higher prices. The increase in spending on  children’s services was a national trend that saw a reported £800m spend over budget across all local authorities in England for 2017. 

RESOLVED: that the Committee:

·         notes the update and recognises the progress made;

·         asks the executive to encourage all members to use local contacts to identify employment and work experience opportunities for LAC; and

·         agrees to write to local cultural providers to request concessions for LAC.