Items
No. |
Item |
45. |
Apologies for Absence/Replacement Members
Minutes:
Apologies for absence were recorded from Polly
Coombes (Foster Carer) and Caroline Sanders (Lincolnshire
Partnership NHS Foundation Trust).
|
46. |
Declarations of Interest
Minutes:
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47. |
Minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 January 2024 PDF 152 KB
Minutes:
It
was agreed that the following amendments be made to minute 41 on
page 5 of the agenda pack:
·
Bullet point 2 on
page 5 be amended to clarify that there were 101 unaccompanied
asylum-seeking children in Lincolnshire and the maximum
Lincolnshire was expected to take was 144.
·
That bullet point
3 on page 5 be amended to reflect that when children are placed on
remand they automatically become a child in care.
RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 January be
approved as a
correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the
amendments set
out above.
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48. |
Announcements by the Chairman and Chief Officers
Minutes:
With sadness the
Chairman announced the passing of Councillor Julie Killey, who had
been a member of the Panel since November 2020 and represented the
Lincoln Park electoral division and was also the Labour Group
representative on the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee
and Corporate Parenting Panel. On behalf of the Panel, the Chairman
extended deepest condolences to her family during this difficult
time.
The Panel observed
a minute’s silence as tribute to Councillor Killey.
The Chairman
provided an update on the visiting members to Children’s
Homes – Councillor Gary Taylor has been appointed the
visiting member for Spalding and Councillor Matt Boles had been
appointed as the visiting member for Gainsborough. The relevant
checks and training were underway.
Tara Jones, Assistant Director –
Children’s Safeguarding was delighted to report that
Riverhead House, the Council’s newly built children’s
home based in Louth, was now fully registered with Ofsted, with the
first child placed. Supported accommodation at Denton and Rowston
were also now fully registered with Ofsted.
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49. |
Lincolnshire Virtual School Annual Report for the Academic Year 2022-23 PDF 146 KB
(To receive a report by
Sarah Lane, Virtual School Head, which invites the Panel to review
and endorse the Virtual School Annual Report for the academic year
2022-23)
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Consideration was
given to a report by Sarah Lane, Virtual School Head, which
introduced the Lincolnshire Virtual School Annual Report for the
Academic Year 2022-23, as set out at Appendix A to the report.
During the
discussion on this item, the following points were recorded:
- Young people would
always be encouraged to apply to education settings which were
geographically the closest, as it was not considered appropriate
for young people to be travelling long distances to attend an
education setting.
- Officers were not
concerned about post 16 attendance data or that Ofsted outcomes had
an impact on young people’s attendance. Assurance was
provided that colleges provided a high level of support for young
people despite Ofsted ratings and whilst it was not a statutory
requirement, each college had a designated lead to support young
people who attended.
- Members welcomed
the report and the positive outcomes shown.
- In relation to
concerns raised over the increase in Lincolnshire’s
persistence absence rate from 12.3% to 24.5%, it was acknowledged
that this was a complex issue and based on individual circumstance.
Many children had found the transition back to education difficult
following covid lockdowns.
- Assurance was
provided that any young person who was not attending an education
setting regularly would be involved in termly targeted support
visits and a multiagency discussion would take place to identify
barriers to attending education and address challenges where
possible to support attendance. Assurance was provided that
attendance was a priority both locally and nationally.
- Members sought
assurance that children on a Child in Need or Child Protection Plan
would no longer be excluded without representation or appeal by the
child’s family or social worker. Members were reassured that
social workers were being upskilled to ensure they could represent
pupils at Governor’s Pupil Disciplinary committees which
would include providing additional information on individuals that
may have contributed to exclusions. Parents were kept fully
informed throughout the exclusion process and provided with
opportunities to challenge exclusions.
- National data
suggested rates of Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND)
were increasing. However, Officers acknowledged that Lincolnshire
had a higher rate of children with Education, Health and Care Plans
(EHCP), including children in care. There had been an increase in
the complexity of children’s needs. There was some
misunderstanding that an EHCP was necessary to meet the needs of
SEND children. However, Officers were working to emphasise that
many children’s needs could be met without an EHCP.
- Support from the
Virtual School ended once a young person turned 18, unless they
requested additional support. The Virtual School was working with
the Leaving Care Service to potentially extend involvement to the
end of the academic year in which the individual turned 18, which
was above statutory duties.
- The post of Team
Manager was subject to job evaluation due to the increase in duties
and once finalised recruitment would commence.
RESOLVED
That the report be
reviewed and the Lincolnshire Virtual School Annual Report for the
academic year 2022-23 be endorsed.
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50. |
Children in Care Performance Report Quarter 3 PDF 176 KB
(To receive a report from
Tara Jones, Assistant Director – Children’s
Safeguarding), which invites the Panel to review and comment on the
key performance information for Quarter 3 of 2023/24 that is
relevant to the work of the Panel)
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Consideration was
given to a report by the Assistant Director –
Children’s Safeguarding, which set out the key performance
information for quarter 3 of 2023-24 which was relevant to the work
of the Panel, as set out on pages 47 to 70 of the agenda pack.
It was reported
that of the 16 measures reported, two did not meet their target and
two were ahead of the target. A breakdown was provided at Appendix
A to the report.
During the
discussion on this item, the following points were recorded:
Percentage of Children in
Care with an up to date health check:
- The need to ensure
that Children in Care felt supported to have health checks and
ensure they felt safe and looked after was emphasised. Officers
highlighted the importance of health promotion from early years
settings, although acknowledged that children coming into care
later could sometimes be more difficult to support in terms of
health needs.
Care Leavers in Education,
Employment or Training:
- In relation to the
data on page 48 that stated that 28 young people were unable to
work due to illness/disability, the Panel requested that in future,
distinctions be made between those with illness and
disability.
- Some members
expressed disappointment that the target had still not been met and
emphasised the importance of ensuring that all care leavers had the
chance to undertake education, employment and training, and that
the Council enabled them to take that chance.
- Officers expected
that some of the children in care without an up-to-date health
check would also not be engaging in education, employment and
training as it was acknowledged that many of these individuals had
extremely complex needs and mental health needs. Assurance was
provided that emotional wellbeing and mental health workers were
now established within the leaving care service who would support
those children who were not engaging.
- Children and Young
People were supported by foster carers, social workers, the virtual
school and health teams, however many individuals entering their
teenage years sought to normalise themselves and made a conscious
decision not to engage with health assessments and education
support as this was not offered to their peers.
- A briefing session
on the topic of education, employment and training for care leavers
was proposed for the 5 June 2024 and members would receive an
invitation in due course.
- Members
appreciated that some of the complexities and detail could not be
included within the report but suggested it would be useful to
provide further explanation within the report to allow members to
better understand the data.
RESOLVED
- That the report be
reviewed and that satisfaction with the performance measures
relevant to Children in care for Quarter 3 of 2023/24 be
recorded;
That the request for a distinction between
those unable to work due to illness or disability in future reports
be noted.
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51. |
Fostering Quarterly Performance Report - Quarter Three PDF 145 KB
(To receive a report by
Deborah Crawford, Head of Service – Fostering and Adoption,
which invites the Panel to review the Fostering Service performance
for Quarter 3 of 2023/24)
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Consideration was
given to a report by Deborah Crawford, Head of Service –
Fostering and Adoption, which provided an overview of the Fostering
Service performance for quarter 3 of 2023-24, as detailed on pages
71 to 94 of the agenda pack.
The Head of Service
– Fostering and Adoption emphasised the challenges with
recruiting Foster Carers and expressed gratitude to all
Lincolnshire’s Foster Carers for their outstanding commitment
and level of work.
Ann Wright, Foster
Carer Representative appreciated the recognition and high level of
support offered to Lincolnshire’s Foster Carers.
During the
discussion on this item, the following points were recorded:
- The Committee
echoed the comments made and thanked both the Fostering Team for
their passion, commitment and quality of service and Foster Carers
for their hard work and ongoing support.
- It was suggested
that more data including key figures be provided in future reports
to allow further analysis of Lincolnshire’s position, which
was supported by Officers.
- The Panel was
reassured that Lincolnshire was one of the strongest performing
authorities in terms of recruitment and retention of Foster Carers
and percentage of Children in Care placed within a family
setting.
- Members welcomed
the introduction of the Government’s Kinship Strategy and the
additional flexibility this would bring. It was clarified that the
Kinship Strategy was launched in December and it was still unclear
which eight local authorities would be selected to take part in the
project. Officers felt that the strategy would create a level
playing field and fairness across the country to enable families,
friends and connected persons to step forward and care for looked
after children. Assurance was provided that in Lincolnshire,
kinship carers were treated in the same way as foster carers.
- The Panel was
advised that the Fosterlink Service had been launched by the
Government. Children’s Services would be receiving a visit
next week from the Department for Education to carry out a health
check of where Lincolnshire was in regard to fostering. It was
requested that the report setting out the outcomes from the visit
be shared with the Panel.
- Officers
emphasised that apart from certain children who had an assessed
need to be placed in a residential setting, they would always look
to place children within a family setting and would always explore
foster placements and placements with family members or extended
family members as a priority. Although Lincolnshire may look for
opportunities for capital funding to build further children’s
homes in the future, the priority to place children in a family
setting was reiterated.
- The Chairman
commended the newly built Riverhead children’s home in Louth
and the positive benefit it offered to Lincolnshire.
- The Panel
recognised the ongoing challenges with the efforts made to
advertising the role of foster carers.
RESOLVED
- That the progress
made within the Fostering Service had been reviewed.
- That the report be
accepted as an accurate overview of the Fostering Service.
- That the findings
of the Fosterlink Service visit be shared with the Panel.
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52. |
Corporate Parenting Panel Work Programme PDF 192 KB
(To receive a report by
Tracy Johnson, Senior Scrutiny Officer, which invites the Panel to
consider its work programme)
Minutes:
Consideration was
given to a report by Tracy Johnson, Senior Scrutiny Officer, which
invited the Panel to review its work programme, as set out on pages
85-88 of the agenda pack.
One amendment to
the work programme was reported which was the addition of a report
on proposed constitutional changes to the terms of reference of the
Corporate Parenting Panel, which would be brought for consideration
by the Panel at its meeting on 9 May 2024. The proposals would then
be ratified by Full Council on 17 May 2024.
The Chairman
reminded members about the Education, Employment and Training
workshop which would take place on 5 June 2024 on Microsoft Teams.
An appointment would be sent to members of the Panel in due
course.
RESOLVED
That the work programme be approved.
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