Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor W Bowkett, Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health, and Councillor C J Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning.

Apologies for absence were also received by Heather Sandy, Executive Director of Children’s Services and Glen Garrod, Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing.

There were no declarations of interest at this point in proceedings.

There were no announcements by the Leader, Executive Councillors or Executive Directors.

RESOLVED:

        That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 October 2022 be approved as     a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(To receive a report by the Executive Director – Children’s Services which seeks approval of the new Children in Care and Care Leavers Strategy to identify how LCC will seek to fulfil the role of corporate parent)

That the  "Children in Care and Care Leavers Strategy", as attached as Appendix A to the report, be approved.

The Corporate Parenting Manager delivered a report on the Children in Care & Care Leavers Revised Strategy for 2022 to 2025 which sought to identify how Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) would continue to fulfil the role of ‘corporate parent’. The Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Community Safety and Procurement introduced the report and commended the outstanding work LCC had done to deliver on its ambition to ensure that Children in Care & Care Leavers were safe, happy, and healthy.

The Corporate Parenting Manager explained that the Revised Strategy aimed to shape commitments to Children in Care and Care Leavers and ensured all agencies across the authority would continue to deliver excellent services for young people for whom there was a corporate parenting responsibility. He highlighted the importance of specialised support provided to Children in Care and Care Leavers in respect to their independence, relationships, and aspirations for adulthood.

The Executive was assured that there was a wide range of engagement and consultation with Care Leavers, Children in Care, team managers, operational staff, and strategic partners through the Safeguarding Partnership to develop the strategy and welcomed the positive response from the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT). In addition, multiple sessions had been delivered to elected members by the Corporate Parenting Manager on how they could fulfil their roles as ‘corporate parents’ for Children in Care and Care Leavers, with positive feedback being received.

During discussion by the Executive, the following was noted:

·       The Executive thanked the Corporate Parenting Manager for work carried by the Children’s Services Department in Lincolnshire.

·       It was important and beneficial to centralise the voice of Children in Care and Care Leavers in strategies that impact them. ‘Deep Conversation’ sessions had been hosted with Officers and feedback was used to develop the strategy. After the age of 25 there were no formal mechanisms to support or monitor Care Leavers, however the service sought to build a strong community for them, so they were well prepared upon leaving the service. Assurance was provided that the service would continue to offer support to care leavers in need and some chose to engage with the system informally through visits and phone calls. It was suggested that a phone number be provided to care leavers when exiting the service to enable contact to continue if necessary.

·       35% of Children in Care and Care Leavers were reported to not be in education, employment, or training. Plans were in place to engage in research of these young people to better identify their needs.

·       Executive members commended the ‘corporate parenting’ training sessions delivered to Members.

·       It was requested that The Impact Equality Assessment provided more detail in the future.

RESOLVED:

That the "Children in Care and Care Leavers Strategy", as attached as Appendix A to the report, be approved.