Agenda item

Performance against Corporate Parenting Strategy

The Director of Children’s Care and the Analytics Manager will present the performance scorecard to the Board.

Minutes:

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.