Agenda item

This item presents the Looked After Children and Care Leavers Annual Report for 2019-20.

Amana Gordon (Operational Director, Children and Young Peoples Service) and Sarah Sanderson (Head of Service) introduced the item which presented the Looked After Children and Care Leavers Annual Report for 2019-20. She explained the report had been delayed due to Covid-19 pressures and work had already started on the 2020/21 report.

Sarah Sanderson discussed the following seven key priorities that were identified in 2019/20 and fed into corporate parenting activity during the year:

·       Ensuring well-matched care when children can no longer stay at home safely

·       Improve the timeliness of permanence planning

·       Improve how we assure ourselves of the quality of the provisions we use

·       Provide independent living skills training to support transitions

·       Continue to improve the accommodation pathway for Care Leavers

·       Continue to deliver 5 key areas for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC)

·       Provide effective Covid-19 response to keep children safe and support recovery

Amana Gordon and Sarah Sanderson spoke about the H&F model of corporate parenting, the work done to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, the virtual awards ceremony held in July 2020, and the changes made to services in response to feedback from children and young people.

Eleanor Allen asked what types of issues were raised in corporate parenting meetings. Sarah Sanderson said a recurring theme was language used – the young people didn’t like the ‘LAC’ abbreviation, so it had been changed to ‘our children’.

Councillor Mark Loveday, noting the numbers of older UASC, asked what would happen as they filtered out as they left care or applications for asylum were refused. Was the Council planning to take more UASC under the national scheme? Amana Gordon said the Council had an obligation through the national transferal mechanism. H&F had made a commitment to provide support. Jacqui McShannon added that the Council would respond to need and would work with other local authorities who were struggling where H&F had capacity.

Councillor Loveday asked if the children taken under the ‘Dubs amendment’ (section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016) scheme were separate to the national transfer scheme commitment. Jacqui McShannon said they were additional.

Councillor Alexandra Sanderson said she was proud that H&F Council was looking after so many children so well. She then asked about mental health provision and if there were Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for children who have moved out of the borough. Sarah Sanderson said there was a CAMHS team within the LAC service that supported workers to bridge the gap when children moved. They made links and ensured provision was continued in the new area.

Councillor Sanderson asked if the committee could send congratulations to the young people who had achieved. Sarah Sanderson said she would speak to Amelia (Virtual School Headteacher) to see how to do that.

The Chair summarised the discussion and reinforced the importance of the Council’s corporate parenting responsibilities. She also noted that the report set out the cooperation and co-production that helped shaped the service and hoped that would continue into the future.

Councillor Larry Culhane (Cabinet Member for Children and Education) paid tribute to the young people who took part in the Children in Care Council and the Corporate Parenting Board who all had contributed a huge amount and were focused on the needs of their peers. He also noted that the borough had a rich history of welcoming and caring for people of all backgrounds and in recent years H&F had refused to look the other way when children were in need.