Appendix 1

CORPORATE PARENTING POLICY GUIDANCE

FOR ELECTED MEMBERS

INTRODUCTION

The Executive approved the Corporate Parenting Policy in May this year. The Policy sets out the Council’s vision, and statement of intent (attached). It outlines the leadership role in relation to the duty of Members to act as good corporate parents, in particular to those children and young people in the care of the Local Authority, but also to all children and young people on the Island. This includes improving the outcomes for children by adopting a cross cutting approach across the Council.

IMPLEMENTATION

Since May 2004 Officers have been completing a template of monthly statistics on 14 Key Performance Areas, in relation to corporate parenting, and reporting to the Children’s Portfolio Holder and the Chief Executive on a bi-monthly basis. This is to ensure that the work and performance of the Children and Family Services section is monitored, scrutinised and governed.

All Looked After Children have been sent a letter informing them of their Elected Member for the ward in which they are being cared for. Members also have been sent a letter informing them of the percentage of Looked After Children currently resident in their ward (updated on a regular basis)

IF A LOOKED AFTER CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON APPROACHES YOU AS THEIR COUNCILLOR

Key Message

Implicit in the Policy is the message that we all have a duty to respond to any looked after child or young person, as they were our own son or daughter.

Looked After Child Status

Children and young people in care often feel stigmatised by being “looked after”. If you are approached please treat them as you would any other child.

Confidentiality

Children and young people come into care for all sorts of reasons. Usually it is because of their vulnerability of being risk from themselves, their parents or others.

If a child or young person tells you that they are in danger, this must not be held in confidence, the child or young person must be told that this information will be passed on to their social worker.

It would be best to avoid making immediate commitments to a child or young person that sets up expectations without checking with the worker or team involved. It may be for instance that the child or young person asks you to help them have more or less contact with their parents. There may be an order in place from the Court, which cannot be varied without going back to Court. You made need to tell the child or young person that you will get back to them, or that they can come back to you at an agreed time.

Legal status

Not only do children come into care for different reasons but the legal basis for their care can also vary. Children and young people can enter our care with the voluntary agreement of their parents, under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, in this case any decision made about them is made with their parent’s approval, in particular the parent or parents with parental responsibility.

It may be that their case has or is subject to court proceeding resulting in interim or full orders. In which case different legal rules apply. Therefore you may need to contact a professional to be sure that any suggestion you make is legal.

Permission from the child or young person

A child or young person looked after should be able to tell you who is their allocated worker, it is advisable to seek their permission for you to contact their worker, or any other person e.g. teacher, youth worker etc. The exception to this is if they inform you they are in danger or at risk of harm.

Included in the letter you receive regarding the percentage of looked after children is a chart explaining the Children & Family section’s structure and a staffing list. Children & Family’s staff have been informed and are open to you contacting them.

Complaints

A child or young person may come to you with a complaint about how they feel they have been treated or dealt with. It is important that the child or young person is directed to use our complaints procedure (leaflet attached). You may want to support the child or young person through the process, or to direct them to Jane Davidson our Children Rights and Participation Officer (525790) who can put them in touch with the Youth trust who runs our advocacy service.

If the child or young person does not want to use the complaints process or you are concerned about the way this child or young person seems to have been treated or worked with by the service your first port of call is Mary Brimson Service Manager Jointly Commissioned and Looked After Children (525790)

Finally it is important that we work together, Members and staff, in partnership in the best interests of the child or young person.

Prue Grimshaw Head of Children & Family Services

October 2004