Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence received.

Apologies were received by Dan Busby, Care Ambassador.

All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore all Members with a Non-Pecuniary interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 2 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

None received.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.

No deputations were received.

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman thanked everyone who attended the workshop which preceded the Corporate Parenting Board and noted that she viewed it to have been a valuable discussion which will inform the Board’s work.

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Key Performance Indicators of the Corporate Parenting Board.

The Board received a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Key Performance Indicators for the Corporate Parenting Board. These indicators included; Children Looked After (CLA) Health Monitoring; CLA Performance; Strength and Difficulty Questionnaires (Coverage and Mean Scores); Missing Children; the percentage of CLA with three or more placements in a year; the percentage of CLA who have been looked after continuously for two and a half years, or in the same placement for at least two years or placed for adoption and their adoptive and previous placement together lasted for more then two years; CLA attendance; Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment Forms.

In response to questions, members heard that;

·         The East of the County had more children in care and has a larger ‘hard to place’ cohort. Alongside this, there are less health colleagues in the West so establishing relationships is easier. Both of these elements contribute to figures in the West being stronger.

Resolved:

• That the Corporate Parenting Board notes the Key Performance Indicators with a view to monitoring these in the future.
• That the outcomes of the benchmarking exercise in relation to the education of Children Looked After (and those previously looked after) be provided to a future Corporate Parenting Board.

To receive a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on Care Leavers, including the Local Offer and it’s feedback.

The Board received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on Care Leaders with a focus on the Local Offer and the feedback received in relation to it.

The Board heard that 525 Care Leavers had been consulted with and responses were received from 54 of them which is a good amount compared to usual survey response rates.

Members also heard how work is being undertaken with District Councils around Council Tax exemption, alongside charity involvement and support with Housing and Health for Care Leavers. There has also been a joint protocol established between Children and Adult’s Services to ensure Care Leavers continue to be supported. Also, as part of the Partners in Practise scheme, Mental Health practitioners whose role will include working with Care Leavers are being recruited.

Resolved: That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update on Care Leavers, including the Local Offer and its feedback.

To receive a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on Children in Care.

The Board received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on Children in Care.

The Board heard that ‘Social Worker PAs’ were being rolled out to assist Children in Care teams by enabling them more time out of the office, following a successful trial period. This will also benefit from hybrid IT devices leading to more options for flexible working. There is also work being done to improve the communication between the frontline teams and the Placement Commissioning Teams, which will hopefully lead to better outcomes.

Members heard that there is a focus on staff training and retention currently with a new Graduate entry training scheme to allow training to be completed in house.

Resolved:

·         That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update on Children in Care and request an item from the Placement Commissioning Team at a future meeting.

To receive a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Education of Children in Care and Care Leavers.

The Board received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of Education of Children in Care.

The Board heard that the results for Early Years, Key Stage 1, 2 & 4 are all improving and are similar to the results for the same demographic nationally. An overview of the Virtual School and its future priorities was given, alongside a plan for how the priorities will be met.

A conversation about the difficulty in ensuring CLA achieved on par with the rest of their cohort took place and the importance of ensuring they are in good schools was noted.

In response to questions members heard that;

·         All schools are being visited to explain to them and help them understand the challenges. Work is being done to increase the ambitions for CLA in relation to Education.

·         Not enough CLA are considering apprenticeships, however the exact amount undertaking one is not known.

Resolved: That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update in relation to Education of Children in Care and Care Leavers.

To receive a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Health of Children in Care and Care Leavers.

The Board received a presentation from West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group providing an overview of Health of Children in Care.

The Board heard updates from the Designated Nurse for Children in Care on Dental Health, Immunisation Uptake Rates, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires and Health Assessments and their Reviews. The update also included a overview of the role of CAMHS with CLA.

In response to questions members heard that;

·         Immunisation figures can be hard to improve as the guidance on what to immunise against can change making it impossible to bring some children up to date.

·         Children placed outside of the County can make it difficult to improve some of the indicators.

Resolved: That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update in relation to Health of Children in Care and Care Leavers.

To receive a verbal update from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the use of technology to increase involvement of Young People and Care Ambassadors.

The Board received a verbal update from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the use of Technology to increase the involvement of Young People and Care Ambassadors.

The Board heard about the ‘Mind of My Own’ app which could be used to allow communication between Young People and their Social Worker. However, it was noted that to use an app which has the purpose to make it easier for a young person to contact Children Services may make it more awkward for Children’s Services to use.

It was also noted that a pilot was being undertaken in the New Forest in relation to if Facebook could be used to enable communication.

Members also noted that the current webpages were being refreshed to look more up to date, work on mobile devices and act as a hub for social media.

Resolved: That the Corporate Parenting Board notes the current use of technology aimed at increasing the involvement of young people & care ambassadors.

To receive a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the outcomes of the Bright Spots survey in relation to Education for Children in Care. Furthermore, to note the action plan in relation to Bullying following the Survey.

The Board received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the outcomes of the Bright Spots survey in relation to Education for Children in Care, with a focus on the action plan which came out of this in regards to Bullying concerns.

Members heard that the Bright Spots survey was an anonymous questionnaire and the response rate was positive. The main aspect picked up on from the survey was the large number of respondents who said they were afraid to go to school due to bullying. This was not expected and has led to the creation of an action plan to respond to this concern. There were also concerns in relation to young people not knowing the detail of their plans and being unaware of why they have moved placements.

It was noted to a Panel that a follow up survey looks to have a much lower response rate so this may be undertaken every other year in the future.

In response to questions members heard that;

·         The Survey was completed for Hampshire by an outside organisation and they choose the questions etc. that were used.

Resolved: That the Corporate Parenting Board note the outcomes of the Bright Spots Survey in relation to Education for Children in Care alongside the Action Plan in reference to Bullying.

To receive a verbal update from the Director of Children’s Services providing feedback from Children in Care, Care Leavers & Care Ambassadors.

The Board received a verbal update from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the work of the Care Ambassadors and a chance for feedback to be shared.

The Board heard that the refresh of ‘The Pledge’ for Children in Care and Care Leavers is being undertaken and it will be called ‘The Promise’ going forward.

It was also noted that the Corporate Parenting Board had recently met with the Director of Children’s Services and other Care Ambassadors and it was thought to be a beneficial experience for all involved. Care Ambassadors have also been involved in interviews for senior Children Service’s staff, most recently the new Area Director.

One Care Ambassador has visited Whitehall and shadowed a Civil Servant in the Department of Education. There followed a conversation about the possibility of similar opportunities being set up within Hampshire County Council.

In addition to the Care Ambassador role a Care Mentor role has been established and there are currently 16 Young People in these roles.

Recommendations: That the Corporate Parenting Board note the feedback from Children in Care, Care Leavers and Care Ambassadors.