Agenda item

(To receive a report by Andrew Morris, Corporate Parenting Manager, which provides the Corporate Parenting Panel with an update on the new Pathway Plan)

The Panel considered a report from the Corporate Parenting Manager, that provided an update on a new Pathway Plan which members were requested to review and submit comments on.

The report included the Pathway Assessment and the previous version for comparison purposes. The Assessment would be completed with a young person just before they turned 16 years old. The Assessment at 16 was a regulatory requirement and was intended to be an opportunity for all involved to pause and plan, take stock of the past, and prepare the young person for the next two years of their life ready for adulthood and independence. The Assessment was the bedrock of a good Pathway Plan and all subsequent reviews.

The Pathway Plan was broken down into two parts. The first part was about the young person, their voice, and their wishes. The second part sought to capture an on-going assessment and analysis of needs across certain domains such as accommodation, education, finances, personal wellbeing etc. The Plan covered the remaining regulatory requirements whilst also seeking to be concise and remain more engaging for young people. An example of how the Plan would look if the young person was an Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child (UASC) was also included in the report.

The Quality and Standards Team were currently in the process of auditing the Pathway Plan and assessment documentation, and the initial findings had been positive. Feedback from staff and young people was that the new document was more flexible and easier to complete. Fewer young people were resistant to engage in the process of Pathway Planning, and staff believed that the document provided a better framework for discussions to help capture peoples wishes, feelings and actions. Further auditing would take place over the next six months to see if further alterations or training was required.

Members were provided the opportunity to ask questions to officers present in relation to information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·               It was thought that work undertaken on the revised report was an example of where the scrutiny function had been important and had made a difference.

·               Work was ongoing to ensure the application of the processes and training was consistent across the Service.

·               A pilot to make translated documents available was being planned.

·               The vast majority of those who had experience of the old documentation had expressed a preference for the new document.

·               There would not be any increase in boxes to be completed in respect of an Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child as it was expected that experienced officers would capture the narrative within the existing document. This was welcomed by the Panel.

·               Reassessments were possible within the scope of the Plan. A review of what constituted a need to reassess was underway. The example of a significant lifestyle change was given as a possible trigger for reassessment and reference was made to the need to determine how that could be better defined.

RESOLVED

1.  That the report and comments be noted;

2.  The Pathway Plan, the process and associated documentation be endorsed.