Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Irish, Hayre, McEvoy and Mummalaneni.

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.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as a correct record and signed.

To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.

There were no deputations made.

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman shared details of several events they had attended and reflected on there positive impact for Children in Care.

An opportunity for Board members to provide a verbal update on their recent engagement activities.

Several members shared positive feedback in relation to recent Personal Education Plan and Children Looked After Review 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 presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Modernising Placements Programme.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Modernising Placements Programme.

Officers set out the issues the programme were designed to address and provided details of the projects in place to do so. Details were provided of the work in relation to Fostering, Residential settings and the training provided. Members noted the progress of the ‘Hampshire Hives’ and the focus for the coming year.

In response to questions members found that:

·         C.40% of placements were out of county, which included Unaccompanied asylum seeking children and those placed in Southampton, Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight.

·         Trauma training was available for Hampshire’s Foster Carers and staff in residential settings, which included virtual reality resources that demonstrated a child’s experience of trauma to allow greater understanding of its affect.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update on the Modernising Placements Programme.

To receive a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the transformation of Family Help.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the transformation of Family Help.

Officers explained how this transofmration work was driven by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and sought to enable families to access support and services within their local communities. Members noted the focus on families receiving the right support, from the right professional at the right time to reduce the likelihood of more complex needs arising.

The Board noted that the changes planned for Family Help are based around putting the child at the centre of their network, wrapping support and services around them to improve their outcomes, whilst ensuring their safety. Members heard that services will continue to be based on the existing foundation of the Hampshire Approach and the strength based, relational approach to working with families.

In response to questions members found that:

·         The department has seen an increase in the number of referrals to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding hub but the thresholds have remained unchanged.

RESOLVED:

That the work undertaken in relation to the Transformation of Family Help are noted by the Corporate Parenting Board.

To receive a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Virtual School’s activities to support and improve educational outcomes for Hampshire’s Children Looked After.

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

The Board received an overview of the progres of Hampshire’s Childrenin Care’s educational attainment broken down by Early Years, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 4 and Post-16.

Officer’s noted that the data summarised within the report was based on provisional figures obtained from schools, as the actual figures would not be available until early 2024.

In response to questions members found that:

·         Eight new case workers had been employed.

·         The new electronic personal education plan had launched in September 2023.

·         Undiagnosed speech and language issues are a focus for the service as they can have a significant impact on a child’s development.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board note the Virtual School activities to support and improve educational outcomes for Hampshire’s Children Looked After.

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Participation Action Plan for 2023.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an updated on the Participation Action Plan for 2023. This included the development of the Children in Care and Care Experienced Adult’s Councils.

The Board noted the success of the co-design day in September and the establishment of a participation network for staff involved in participation within Hampshire, alongside a network for the South East. Officers set out the plan for the continuous improvement of participation in Hampshire which included priority areas identified by young people.

In response to questions members found that:

·         The Directorate focussed on the need to hear the voice of the child in all areas.

·         Work was being undertaken to further support young people placed out of county with initiatives such as Council Tax reductions in the same way as those still resident in Hampshire.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update on the Participation Action Plan for 2023.

To receive a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Family Connections Service.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Family Connections and Post Special Guardianship Order Support Services.

Officers explained that the Family Connections Service was formed in August 2021 to ensure that a sole team manager had consistent oversight and to drive the expansion of the service to not only assess connected carers, but to provide post Special Guardianship Order support. The Post SGO Support Service was created in January 2023.

Member’s noted that there are currently 884 children on a Special Guardianship Order in Hampshire, including the children that Hampshire’s Children’s Services had involvement with either through care proceedings or assessing private SGO applicants. It did not include children from other Local Authorities but resident in Hampshire that are eligible for Post Order support.

The Board noted that in 2022, there were 69 SGOs granted and as of September, there have been 54 SGOs granted in 2023.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update on the Family Connections Service and the Post Special Guardianship Order Support Service.

To receive a presentation from the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board providing an update on Children Looked After Health Assessments.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a presentation from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) providing an update on the health of Children Looked After.

The Board received an overview of the purpose and content of the statutory health assessment which looked at the child’s state of health, including physical, emotional and mental health alongside the effect of the child’s health history on their development. Members noted the specific health requirements of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), including the 41% rate of UASC needing treatment for an infectious disease and elevated risk of suicide.

Members received an update of Health Assessments for Hampshire’s Children in Care, noting that the performance indicator was the timeliness of health assessments being held where a child was looked after for 12 months or more. The target for this is currently set at 85%, with Hampshire currently at 76% completion as of the end August 2023. It was noted that additional funding to address the backlog of Review Health Assessments was provided and this backlog has now cleared.

The Board heard that the volume of Initial Health Assessments was predicted to increase with the new process being embedded in Children’s Services, but three additional GPs had been recruited to the increase capacity. The Board were also provided updates on Children in Care’s dental checks and immunisations.

In response to questions members found that:

·         The ICB provided a single point of contact and daily updates to Children’s Services to speed up the process and the backlog was aimed to be cleared in the next year.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board note the update on Children Looked After Health Assessments.

To receive a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of Hampshire’s readiness to meet the recommendations from the Phase 2 report from the Child Safeguarding Review panel in relation to the safeguarding of Children with Disibilites and complext health needs in Residential settings.

The Corporate Parenting Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services setting out Hampshire’s Readiness to meet recommendations from the Phase 2 Report from the Child Safeguarding Review Panel regarding Safeguarding Children with Disabilities and Complex Health Needs in Residential Settings.

Officer’s provided a summary of the nine recommendations, explaining that many were already being met or on the way to being met by the Directorate’s current practise. The areas which still required development were noted alongside the fact that there was more guidance and information to support the recommendations to be provided.

RESOLVED:

That the Corporate Parenting Board notes the report and is further assured by the work being undertaken locally by Hampshire partners in response to the national reports from the Child Safeguarding Review Panel.