Agenda item

(To receive a report which provides the Committee with an update on the work of the Corporate Parenting Panel)

The Committee received an update on the work of the Corporate Parenting Panel.  As previously reported, the Panel was due to consider the Annual Health report for Looked After Children and an update on the Care Quality Commission review of health services for Looked After Children at its meeting in December, but these were deferred as the officer from the South West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was off sick.

However, the Panel did consider an update on these two Health reports at its 12 March meeting where the Panel was reassured that the issues raised in the CQC inspection had now been addressed.  Additional financial and human resources had been allocated for safeguarding by the Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, and the Blue Books for Looked After Children were now being distributed as part of the social worker pack.  The Panel would be receiving the action plan drafted in response to the recommendations in the Health Annual Report for Looked After Children at its next meeting on 11 June 2015.

In addition to the two updates, the Panel considered the action plan for the recommendations in the Ofsted Inspection report.  One of the recommendations was around reducing offending rates of care leavers and the Panel queried whether any work had been done to look at why those care leavers ended up in custody.  As a result, Janice Spencer, Assistant Director – Children's Safeguarding, and Barnardo's had agreed to do a piece of work on this post-April 2015 and identify any lessons that could be learned.

The next meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel would be held on 11 June 2015, where the Panel would consider a six monthly update on the Corporate Parenting Strategy, the Health Annual Report action plan, and an update on recent case law in relation to adoption.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions in relation to the update provided and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         There were concerns around the numbers of care leavers that ended up in custody, and it was thought that there was more that needed to be done to prepare them for the next stage in life;

·         It was suggested that as schools provided work experience for all pupils, there was a need for positive discrimination for Looked After Children, and for them to be given priority when allocating placements;

·         The over representation of Looked After Children who were in custody was a national issue, not just a local one.  An independent review was being commissioned and the results would be reported back to the Corporate Parenting Panel;

·         It was queried whether children who had been adopted were still classed as Looked After.  Members were advised that once an adoption order had been confirmed by the court, the child was no longer Looked After.  However, there were rare situations where the adoption broke down and the child became Looked After again;

·         In situations where a local authority found it difficult to place a child, they would place them out of county.  Lincolnshire did everything it could to avoid having to place children out of county.  However, other authorities did place children within Lincolnshire.  The Government was looking at this issue and to strengthen the obligations of a local authority to place a child within its own boundary;

·         It was suggested there was a need for improved skill matching for those care leavers going into work experience or apprenticeships.  Some early discussions with the Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel had taken place as there was a need to ensure that all issues had been looked at in detail;

·         A lot of Looked After Children sometimes felt disengaged with the education system, and it would be beneficial if they could be given some encouragement.

RESOLVED

            That the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee note the work    of the Corporate Parenting Panel.