PAPER B
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CHILDREN'S SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE- 17 FEBRUARY 2005 CORPORATE PARENTING POLICY - PROGRESS REPORT REPORT OF THE
PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR CHILDRENS SERVICES |
1. REASON
FOR SELECT COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
1.1 Report to the Select Committee on
corporate parenting as part of the forward plan.
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2. ACTION REQUIRED BY THE SELECT
COMMITTEE 2.1 The Select Committee to scrutinise the progress to date and to consider the commitment required to fulfill the corporate parenting responsibilities as outlined in the Policy. 2.2 To support the development of a Corporate Parenting Panel for the Island. |
3. BACKGROUND
3.1 Work in consideration of corporate parenting
has been ongoing since 2003. In May 2004 the Executive Committee resolved, that
the revised Corporate Parenting Policy be approved. That the Chief Executive
Officer receives quarterly reports, as included to the Children's Services
Select Committee in the QPM Reports, and the Portfolio Holder reports back on
the progress of implementation of the Policy.
3.2 Since that time the group of key
performance areas data has been regularly reported to the Chief Executive, and
strategic and operational groups as part of the QPM Reports.
Performance, as of 31St
March 04 against our comparator group shows the following to be excellent:
stability of placements placed 4th out of 16 in the cohort and looked after
children who had health assessments placed 1St out of 16 in the cohort.
The following are
judged as weak or poor: GCSE results 16th out of 16 in our cohort
(NB results summer 2003 these figures will be updated nationally following the
Spring Delivery and Improvement Statement for comparison with result of the
summer exams 2004) and re-registrations on the child protection register 14th
out of 16 in our cohort.
3.3 A survey has been undertaken seeking the views of looked after children (the survey response rate equated to 13% of the Island's looked after children population), this was followed by the Corporate Parenting Conference involving looked after young people, and launching the Council's Policy.
3.5 The Survey and the Conference resulted in
a number of recommendations and organisation issues:
3.6 Recommendations
from the Survey:
1. Work to be undertaken to
clarify the role and importance of life story work.
2. Young people must be
involved in the care planning process. They should routinely be given a copy of
their care plan.
3. It is clear that the issue
of placement stability must be prioritised by all concerned. Where difficulties
in the placement have been identified they must be addressed and the young
person must be involved in discussing how to address these problems.
4. The reviewing process is
currently under review locally following the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and
the Independent Reviewing Officers Guidance.
5. Issues which should be included in any review of the process:
a. Relevance of reviews for young people
b. Completion of review decisions
c. Who should be invited to attend the review.
6. A debate needs to take place
which includes young people about how, where and who undertakes annual
medicals.
7. Consideration needs to be given to publicising the role of the
school nurse.
8. Consideration should be
given to enabling as many young people as possible to benefit from the service
LACES offer.
9. Computers in the home are
important to achievement. Funding needs to be available to ensure that young
people have access to computers in the home.
10.
The professionals involved with LAC must work to make PEPS more relevant and
useful to young people.
11.
All the young people who said that they would like to be involved have been
invited to take part in the Corporate Parenting Conference.
12.
The department is working towards greater participation from all service users.
A specific focus group for young people is likely to be established.
13.
Some young people offered to take part in a review of current information given
to young people on coming into care.
14.
Despite the large numbers of young people who want to and know how to make a
complaint, this is not translated into complaints activity. Further work needs
to be undertaken to ensure young people feel able to express themselves fully.
15.
The Independent Advocacy service needs to consider how it publicises its
services to ensure that it reaches as many young people as possible.
16. Consideration
needs to be given to clarifying the difference in roles between social workers
and personal advisors.
17.
Consideration needs to be given to further consultation about the use and
purpose of pathway plans.
3.7 Organisational issues identified at the Corporate Parenting
Conference:
COMMUNICATION, SUPPORT &
ACCESS
Consider 24/7
contact/response facility
Improve social workers
responses
Provide mobile phones for
looked after children (closed numbers)
Free phone line for looked
after children
Cheaper/free travel - free
travel/bus passes
Reconfigure staff working
patterns
Children looked after offer
peer support to other looked after children
Independent peer support
Ask the child or young person who they want to be their voice
- lead professional
Foster
carers views should be represented
Work with
looked after children to focus on prevention rather than reacting to crises.
Better
information sharing
Less
jargon more "child-speak"
Elected
Members need to be able to communicate in an understandable manner with young
people
Senior
Managers to spend regular time on the shop floor"
PLANNING
Raise the
importance, quality and profile of Personal Education Plans (PEPs) and make
them child focused
Child
friendly PEP
Improve
risk management - do not bring young people into the system unless the risks at
home are completely unmanageable
FOSTER
CARERS & PLACEMENTS
Recruit
suitable foster carers
More
recruitment of foster carers to enable children to have choice of placement
Include
foster carers in team meetings
EDUCATION / SCHOOLS
Schools to organise peer support
groups for looked after children via the designated teacher
Schools to
arrange an "induction" support network for new looked after children
Education
- more behaviour support; more flexible curriculum; Tomlinson Report 14-19
recommendations re vocational education programmes
TRAINING
Listen to children's voices
and produce tailor made joint training packages for foster carers, social
workers, health and education staff
Better training for foster
carers
CONSULTATION
Children
and young people should be consulted on documentation
3.8 Information
is being sent to looked after children/young people on the role of, and how to
contact elected Members. Together with Members being informed of the percentage
of looked after children/young people currently residing in their
constituencies. This is complemented by a guidance document for Members - See
appendices 1 & 2
3.9 Research
is being undertaken by the Children & Family Services into the role, remit
of Corporate Parenting Panels in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, on how
a Panel may be implemented to best effect for the children and young people on
the Isle of Wight.
4. RELEVANT PLANS, POLICIES, STRATEGIES
AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
4.1 Isle of
Wight Council - Corporate Parenting Policy
4.2 The
Local Preventative Strategy
4.3 If this were my child - A Councillors
Guide to being a Good Corporate Parent. DfES guidance October 2003
4.4 Every
Child Matters - documentation available on the every child matters website www.evervchildmatters.gov.uk
4.5 QPM
Reports
5. CONSULTATION
PROCESS
5.1 Events since the summer 2003 including
the Listening to Children Survey and the Corporate Parenting Conference in
November 2004.
6. FINANCIAL.
LEGAL, CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
6.1 There
are no direct financial implications for the Corporate Parenting Policy which
aims to increase awareness of the Council's corporate responsibilities in
respect of children and young people, in particular with regard to looked after
children and cross cutting issues across the Council in relation to monitoring
and scrutiny. Only if should any actions arise from consideration of the
consultation recommendations would there be a financial implication.
6.2 The
section in the Policy in respect of Information Sharing has been approved by
the Legal Services.
6.2 This
policy has been devised as guidance to aid the effective discharge of the
Council's corporate parenting responsibilities in respect of Island children
and young people, and in particular those who are looked after by the Council.
Effective implementation will have a benefit to the Council's overall corporate
performance assessment and the star rating of Children's Services.
6.3 Crime and disorder implications only
arise based on research in that the prison population has a disproportionate number
of adults who in their past been part of the looked after children population.
If we are able to improve the life chances of all our children in need, but
particularly those who are looked after we may be able to reduce the
proportionate effect on the Island's looked after children in the future.
7. APPENDICES
ATTACHED
7.1 Appendix 1 Corporate Parenting Policy Guidance for
Elected Members
7.2 Appendix 2 Percentage of Looked After Children per area
Contact Point :Prue Grimshaw, Head Of Children and Family Services,
F 823400, e-mail prue.grimshaw@iow.gov.uk.