The Head of
Looked after Children and Corporate Parenting was in attendance and provided the Board with information
relating to the Corporate Parenting Board scorecard.
The Director advised that the scorecard was in place for the Corporate
Parenting Board to see how our performance was progressing and have the
opportunity to challenge anything where you saw wasn’t meeting target.
The main points to note were as follows:
Demand
- There has been an 22.6% reduction in overall numbers of children
looked after since August 2020
- Since the height of 702 looked after children during
September 2020, there has been a reduction of 159 looked after
children.
- The rate of looked after children per
10,000 of the population has reduced from 166 in August 2021 to 165.1 in
September and has reduced from 207 in the last year to 164.5 in the last
year.
- This remains higher than our statistical
neighbour where the rate of looked after children per 10,000 is
125.5.
- 122 children and young people have ceased to be looked after in the
last 6 months. 100 children have
become looked after in the same period
- In October 2020 the data evidences that for every child ceasing to
be looked after, 1.7 children started to become looked after. This means that more children were
becoming looked after than ceasing and the looked after population
continued to increase.
- There has been a month on month reduction in this throughout the
year until March 2021 when improvements resulted in less children becoming
looked after than those ceasing.
- This progress has continued.
In June 2021 for every child ceasing to be looked after 0.6
children became looked after. This
has remained static for the last 3 months.
- 55% of the workforce have between 15-20 children on their caseload.
Permanency
Special Guardianship Orders/ Child arrangement order (SGOs/CAO)
- In the last 6 months 51 children have secured permanence through
the making of a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangement Order.
- This has been achieved through increased management oversight
within Legal Gateway Panel, Permanency Monitoring Group, an investment in
a commissioned service and a drive on performance management.
- In July 2020 there was a height of 212 children cared for by family
or friends in connected carer placements.
This has reduced through improvement work to support children to
achieve permanence. In August 2021
this reduced to 129 children.
(39.1% reduction).
Placements with Parents
- In the most recent forecasting model demonstrates a reduction in the
number of children subject to care proceedings and placed with a
parent.
- In September 2020 there were 99 children living at home and subject
to a Care Order. This has reduced
to 58 children in September 2021.
This is 41.4% reduction.
Adoption
- There is a 56% increase of number of adoption orders in the year
20/21 (25) compared to 2019/2020 (16).
- In this year to date 14 Adoption Orders have been secured. There
are currently a further 32 children progressing to adoption with Placement
Orders. Only 2 children are not
linked to adopters
- The local authority is on track to increase the number of children
subject to adoption orders significantly in this financial year.
- The 20/21 adoption score card evidences that the in the 12 months
leading up to 31 March 2021 the average number of days between Placement
Orders and Adoption Order has reduced to 189 days. The 3 year average is 323 days.
Placements
- The Head of Services advised that whilst the graph showed an
increase in the number of children placed outside a 20 mile radius of
Middlesbrough since July an analysis of this data shows that the majority
of the children impacted have moved to either adoptive placements,
placements with family or in house carers.
- In September the data shows there has
been a reduction in the percentage of children paced outside of 20 miles
of Middlesbrough. This has
increased by 2% improvement since August and sits at 76%.
- 10 children have been placed outside of
Middlesbrough in September 2021.
- Positively, of the 10 children that
moved to an out of area placement in September 2021 – 1 child was placed
in their adoptive placement, 2 children placed with family in connected
carers arrangements, 5 children were placed in foster care – of which 3 placements
were in house foster placements and 1 in an external residential
placement. The YP that moved to a
residential placement moved from Gleneagles to a more appropriate long
term setting.
- There are currently 17 care leavers residing with former foster
carers.
Placement stability
- At the end of September 2021 – 33
children looked after by Middlesbrough had experience 3 or move placement
moves in the last 12 months. (6% of the cla
population).
- Positively this has reduced from 39 in
August 2021. This has reduced from
128 in the same period last year.
- Graph 2 demonstrates that 4.2% of the full looked after population
have experienced a placement breakdown in the last 12 month. For the first time in 12 months this has
fallen below the target.
IRPs
There has been a 30% reduction in the number of IRPs in the last 6
months compared to the previous 6 month period. 89% of IRPs in September were
resolved in stage 1 or 2.
EET/NEET
The second graph reported showed a small increase in the number of
children in care post 16 in employment, education or training (EET). 77% of 16+ are EET in September 2021.
Of the 180 care experienced young people - 47% of the care leaving
population being engaged in either full or part time education training and
employment and 53% not in Education, employment to training (NEET), however
work will be underway to address some of the barriers.
Of the 93 young people
that are NEET:
• 1 YP NEET due to illness or disability
• 3 YP NEET due to pregnancy or parenting
• 27 YP NEET and available
for work
• 10 are NEET due to
caring responsibilities
• 5 YP are NEET due to
being in custody (education status to be rechecked)
• 26 YP are NEET due to
emotional or mental health difficulties
• 1 YP is NEET due to
religious traditions
• 4 YP are NEET due to substance
misuse
• 16 YP are NEET due to
other circumstances
Finally the Head of Service outlined some of the impacts:
Visits
93% of looked after
children have been seen within the last 6 weeks; this is a 1% increase from
last month. This has been consistently
high at over 90% since May. This has
increased from 88% in the same period last year however has remained
consistently high and Performance clinics and compliance is well embedded
Supervision/Management
Oversight
94% of looked after
children have had a supervision within the month of September and this was a 2%
increase from last month. This has been
consistently high at over 90% since May.
Personal Education Plans
Performance in relation
to PEPs remains high at 100%. This is
performance for all children in the last 12 month period. Good practice warrants an update PEP each 6
months. Performance remains high with
this indicator also. This performance
has remained consistently high.
For clarification, all
looked after children have an updated PEP every term and there are in place to
constantly review their education/ their needs/ consider their transitions and
they are a legal requirement and continue post 16 into adulthood.
The targets are devised
are led by schools and will work with the child/ social worker and carer where
the special attention are. These are reviewed at a meeting every term. These
will also look at enrichment and any emotional wellbeing. External quality of PEPs were also deemed
good.
Health Assessments
91% of looked after
children have had a recorded health check within the last 12 months. This does not take in to account those older
children who have refused a medical assessment. This has been a 1% increase since August
2021.
The Head of Service was
thanked for her presentation.
AGREED- That the
presentation be noted.
