Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies had been received from Cllrs Carpenter and Hayre. Cllr Davies was present as the Conservative Group deputy.

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 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 Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider, having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 4 of the Code, whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 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.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate 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 was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

No declarations were made.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as a correct record 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 welcomed everyone to the meeting as asked all present to introduce themselves and share the meaning of being a ‘corporate parent’ from their own perspective.

The Chairman also welcomed Sid Merrin who had joined the meeting with a view to formally joining the Board as the co-opted member representing the Care Leavers Council.

To receive a verbal update from Corporate Parenting Board members on their recent engagement activities.

Several members shared positive feedback in relation to recent Children in Care meetings they had attended.

To receive an update from the Director of Children’s Services on the Corporate Parenting Board’s Action Log.

The Corporate Parenting Board reviewed the updated Corporate Parenting Board Action Log, used to track the progress of required actions and report back to the Board.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board note the updated Action Log for the Board.

To receive a report from the Director of People and Organisation providing the updated Terms of Reference for the Corporate Parenting Board.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services noting the new terms of reference of the Corporate Parenting Board as approved by the County Council.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board noted the Terms of Reference as attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing the Corporate Parenting Board with the annual report on the activity of the Care Leavers Service from January 2023 to March 2024.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing the annual update on Care Leavers.

Members noted the definition of who was considered a Care Leaver, alongside the various experiences of care they could have. This was alongside a demographic breakdown of the current cohort.

Officers set out the work undertaken in relation to stable and suitable accommodation, education, employment, training and health and wellbeing. The Board noted that the current strengths included contact with young people being within timescales, placement stability and the Homelessness Prevention personal Advisor role. The next steps for 2024 were also noted, including the need to further embed the Care Experienced Council and other methods for feedback to be implemented into strategic priorities.

In response to questions members found that:

·         Nationally obtained statistics suggest that Care Experienced Adults were around three times more likely to suffer from mental health conditions or to enter the criminal justice system.

·         The service is continually trying to improve by taking best practise from other areas, criteria from Ofsted and self-assessments.

·         All district and boroughs in Hampshire provided some form of support to Care Experienced Adults in relation to Council Tax, but that there was not a national policy which would cover Hampshire’s young people who lived out of County.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board:

• Noted the good outcomes that had been achieved by Hampshire’s Care leavers and the Care Leaver Service’s plans to continue to improve those outcomes further in 2024.
• continued to offer support and challenge to the Care Leaver Service in maximising the offer for Care leavers.
• continued to promote the corporate parenting responsibility that Hampshire County Council and the district borough councils hold.

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Virtual School’s work and focus during the academic year 2022-2023.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing the annual update on Hampshire’s Virtual School for children in care.

Officers explained that the Virtual School proactively worked to create a culture of high expectation and aspiration for children in care and care experienced children with Hampshire’s Schools. The Virtual School also works with a number of partners to achieve these goals.

Members noted an overview of educational outcomes for children in care, broken down by key stage, alongside detail of the data in relation to attendance and exclusions for these young people.

In response to questions members found that:

·         It is difficult to compare year on year as individuals experience and point of entry for care varies dramatically. It was noted that there has been an increasing complexity of need identified over time.

·         Reduced attendance is not thought to be for a particular reason and Officers were confident that all Foster Carers understood the importance of regular attendance at school.

·         Speech and language support is available for those young people who require it.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board noted the Virtual School’s priorities to secure further improvements to the educational outcomes of Hampshire’s children in care.

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on participation and the Children in Care and Care Experienced Adults Councils.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Children in Care and Care Experienced Adults Councils, alongside participation more generally.

Officers set out the new for 2024 model for hearing and responding to the voices of children and family, which included:

·         Feedback Focus – a month of activity to gather feedback from children and parents at home. This included the ‘SHOUT!’ survey.

·         My Life My Future – a ‘summer of activity’ to capture and respond to feedback from children in care alongside showcasing achievements of young people.

·         Care Leaver Week – embedding participation through the Care Leavers week.

Members noted the action taken on the identified priorities and the methods that the Board was hearing and responding to the voice of young people, including the ‘Challenge Cards’ which allowed young people to request a response from the Board on a particular topic.

In response to questions members found that:

·         A process would be proposed shortly for the timely management of the ‘Challenge Cards’ to ensure that a prompt response is provided to young people in a way that is recorded.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board noted the update provided on the Children in Care and Care Experienced Adults Councils, and Participation.

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Joint Housing Protocol for 18+ Care Leavers.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Joint Housing Protocol for 18+ year old Care Leavers.

Officers set out the focus on using a trauma informed approach and joint working to support quality assessments for housing options, utilising the Independent Living Skills Assessment. Members noted that the protocol had seen an increase in the number of Care Leavers accessing housing through the Local Housing Authorities. This has led to a reduction of high cost placements post-18.

In response to questions members found that:

·         There is a robust quality assurance process to ensure that accommodation is suitable for young people, however a shortage of options can mean that placements are not always ideal.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board noted the Joint Housing Protocol and the timescales for reviewing the document.