Agenda item

The Executive Director of Children’s Services will be in attendance to provide the Panel with further information in relation to Children Looked After.

P Jemson, Head of Children Looked After and Corporate Parenting, and P Rudd, Head of Futures for Families and Residential Care Service Manager, were welcomed to the meeting.  They had been invited to attend alongside the Executive Director and Director of Children’s Care to provide the Panel with information in relation to placement stability and placement breakdowns.  This followed on from the profile of Middlesbrough’s Children Looked After provided at the Panel’s previous meeting.

 

In terms of placement type and provision, it was reported that 73% of Children Looked After in Middlesbrough lived in a foster placement, this included connected persons (kinship care) placements.  This had increased from 69% the previous year.  The presentation included a table highlighting the placement types.  There were currently 343 placements (52%) with in-house carers.  This had increased from 42% the previous year and 125 private placements.

 

The Panel was informed that recently published data showed that 51% of Middlesbrough children were placed outside of the town, however, to provide context, from October 2020 only 18% of Middlesbrough children were currently placed more than 20 miles away from Middlesbrough, meaning that 82% of children were placed within 20 miles of Middlesbrough.

 

In relation to placement stability, this was higher than the national average and statistical neighbours and it was highlighted that 64% (123) of children that had been looked after for two and a half years or more had remained in the same placement for two or more years.  Whilst placement moves were sometimes due to a placement breaking down, there were positive reasons for a placement move such as a child being moved to an adoptive placement. 

 

Within the last 12 months: 469 of Middlesbrough’s Children Looked After were in their first and only placement; 147 children had experienced two placement moves; 49 had three placements; seven children had four placements; eight children had five placements; three children had six placements and no children had seven or more.

 

There had been a slight decrease in the number of Children Looked After and, as of today, there were a total of 680 (a reduction of nine since the Panel’s previous meeting).

 

The Panel was provided with data on placement breakdowns from the period April to October 2020 and the placement type.  In October, two in-house foster placements had broken down and two independent (external) foster placements had broken down.  There had been two external residential placements breakdowns during November.  It was noted that there had been only one connected persons placement breakdown during the period April to October.

 

The Panel was informed that work to prevent placement breakdowns and improve placement stability included:-

 

·         Corporate Parenting Strategy

·         Innovate Social Work Team

·         Futures for Families

·         LCS transformation to support improved Social Work practice and performance reporting

·         Returning children to placements in Middlesbrough

·         Data analysis – understanding the reasons why placements have ended

·         Introduction of placement disruption procedure

·         Support offer to fragile placements

 

The Chair commented that he was keen for all Elected Members to be provided with a copy of the Corporate Parenting Strategy once it had been finalised.  The Chair was particularly keen to promote engagement with all Members in relation to the Strategy and on their role as corporate parents.  The Chair of Corporate Parenting Board, who was present at the meeting, advised that the consultation period on the document had ended on 31 October and suggested that an all Member briefing be arranged in order for feedback on the Strategy to be shared. 

 

A discussion ensued and the following issues were raised:-

 

·         A Panel Member considered one important aspect of stability for Children Looked After to be education and it was queried whether there was any available data on how many children placed outside of Middlesbrough continued to attend the same school.  The Director of Children’s Care responded that very detailed information was held by the Virtual School and this could be provided to the Panel.  Wherever possible and practical, attempts were always made to avoid changing schools to maintain consistency.

 

·         A Panel Member noted that in October two IFA and two in-house placement breakdowns had occurred and it was queried how long the children had been in those placements prior to the breakdown.  The Head of Children Looked After and Corporate Parenting advised that she would obtain the information for Members.  In terms of what happened when a placement did breakdown, a process was currently being embedded with Social Workers where fragile placements were being looked at.  This work was being closely carried out with the Futures for Families Team who offered intensive support to placements to try and stabilise them.  Monthly Care Team meetings, with senior management oversight, were also being embedded allowing them to identify when placements were becoming unstable in order to provide additional early support to stop the placement deteriorating further.  This involved collaborative working between Futures for Families, Residential and Fostering Service, Commissioning Service and the Children Looked After Teams to ensure that Independent Fostering Agencies, Futures for Families and in-house fostering were able to provide wrap around support to children in unstable placements.  This was a comprehensive support package and could include respite and outreach support for children and carers.

 

·         A Member made reference to the Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel which was looking at school exclusions and expressed concern that one particular school had a high rate of fixed term exclusions and that 90% of those exclusions were Children Looked After.  It was queried whether this was being looked into.  The Head of Children Looked After and Corporate Parenting advised that communication and links with the Virtual School were being strengthened and included monthly meetings with the Head of the Virtual School to review children with low attendance and those at risk of exclusion to ensure appropriate plans were in place to improve attendance and avoid exclusion.  The Executive Director shared the concerns and assured Members that the issue would be carefully looked at and that it was already under scrutiny by the Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel.

 

·         A Panel Member sought clarification in relation to the data showing five young people recorded as living in independent living places.  The Director of Children’s Care confirmed that these placements were Supported Lodgings Placements.  Providers were similar to foster carers and were assessed by the Service as to whether they were suitable to provide such a placement and had the necessary skills to support the young person.  The placements were a move on placement from fostering before stepping into full independence. 

 

The Chair thanked the Officers for their attendance and the information provided.

 

AGREED as follows:-

 

1.     That the information provided be noted and considered in the context of the Panel’s current scrutiny topic.

That further details be provided to a future Panel meeting in relation to Futures for Families and the Innovate Team.