Agenda item

Further to a Minute of the meeting of the Corporate Parenting Group held on 29th January, 2013, consideration was given to a report presented by the Interim Director of Safeguarding Children and Families providing an overview of corporate parenting activity and services for looked after children within the Rotherham Borough.

 

The report included a self-assessment, based on the joint Local Government Association / Centre for Public Scrutiny and National Children’s Bureau guide: “10 questions to ask if you’re scrutinising services for looked after children”. Members noted that this Council had been represented on the reference group which advised on the content of this guide. The aim of the guide is to provide a framework to scrutinise all services relevant to looked after children and also to assist in focussing on areas of particular interest.

 

The Interim Director of Safeguarding Children and Families explained the Council’s corporate parenting role and also the functions of the Corporate Parenting Group which is chaired by Councillor Lakin as Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services.

 

The Select Commission’s consideration of this item and each of the “10 Questions” included discussion of the following issues:-

 

: there are some four hundred looked after children in the Rotherham Borough area, many of whom are placed with foster families;

 

: what is the quality and effectiveness of the Council’s corporate parenting activities;

 

: what is impact of the corporate parenting activities and is there sufficient information available to be able to assess that impact;

 

: concerns about the responses provided in the report – incomplete data (eg; Key Stage 2 results); unanswered questions in the report; unclear descriptions of activity in the report (various examples were mentioned);

 

: the Corporate Parenting Panel regularly considers performance data which will respond to the various concerns and this data can be made available for Members of the Improving Lives Select Commission;

 

: both the Cabinet Member and the Members of the Corporate Parenting Group receive feedback information collated from individual looked after children, to be able to assess the individuals’ views about the care they receive;

 

: ensuring that the Council is prepared to take due notice of the “child’s voice” and the child’s opinion about services provided; (eg: ensuring that looked after children have the same social worker assigned to them and this arrangement continues even though the looked after child may be placed outside the Rotherham Borough area);

 

: looked after children reviews ensure that the “child’s voice” is properly taken into account; the use of Council premises ensures that meetings with looked after children may take place privately;

 

: social workers engage carefully with looked after children, for example, in preparation for adoption;

 

: Regulation 33 inspections of children’s residential homes take place regularly, where Elected Members are able to listen to the views of looked after children; a complaints’ system is in operation, enabling looked after children and young people to express their views about their lives in residential homes and the services provided for them;

 

: good progress has been made by the Council in terms of the recruitment and retention of social workers; Members noted that recruitment and retention is sometimes affected by the remuneration packages offered by other local authorities; Rotherham benefits from modern office working conditions and the training available for social workers, with both being important factors for recruitment and retention;

 

: ensuring that the cultural diversity, language and religion of looked after children are properly acknowledged and catered for;

 

: a framework and robust arrangements are now in place for the commissioning of ‘out-of-Borough-area’ placements for looked after children; these new arrangements should improve value for money, may eventually produce financial savings for the Council and will improve outcomes for Rotherham’s looked after children;

 

: ‘invest to save’ arrangements are utilised within the fostering service, which have also produced financial savings and improved the likelihood of looked after children being placed with foster families within the Rotherham Borough area; it was noted that emergency placements are usually the most expensive for the Council;

 

: reference was made to the comparative costs of placements for looked after children (i) within the Rotherham Borough; (ii) out-of-area; and (iii) with independent service providers;

 

: reference was made to the comparative costs of foster placements for teenagers of school-age and for younger looked after children; every endeavour was being made to try and reduce the costs of foster placements;

 

: the arrangements for the independent visitor service and whether there are sufficient numbers of people available and good representation of both men and women; Members noted that numbers are increasing and the independent members receive adequate training; a report on this matter is to be considered at a forthcoming meeting of the Corporate Parenting Group;

 

: only a very small number of children and young people from outside the Rotherham Borough area placed with foster carers in Rotherham;

 

: Members noted the need to ensure the confidentiality of placements for looked after children and the limits placed upon the sharing of information between the statutory agencies;

 

: the education of looked after children, including the role of head teacher of the Virtual School (there have been changes in personnel performing this role), the support arrangements within each learning community, the ensuring for the admission of looked after children into school and ensuring that looked after children have the opportunity to participate in after-school and extra-curricular activities;

 

: whether individual schools assess sub-group attainment levels (eg: for the sub-group of looked after children); a number of Rotherham’s looked after children are contemplating or are now within higher education; an arrangement is already in place in which Rotherham’s looked after children are mentored by students of Sheffield University, with the aim of raising attainment levels and encouraging participation in higher education;

 

: reductions in service levels within the Authority mean that it is difficult to obtain information about the longer term outcomes for people who were previously looked after children and young people in Rotherham (and who no longer met the remit of Leaving Care services);

 

: Members asked to be provided with information about the progress of looked after children and young people who are attending academies and ‘free’ schools;

 

: the arrangements for monitoring the health and well being of looked after children; the purpose of the ‘listening card’ enabling looked after children to express their views about health services; the role of the looked after children’s nurse; ensuring that looked after children receive dental check-ups; the provision of sexual health advice;

 

: there was discussion about information-sharing between the statutory agencies and ensuring that looked after children and young people are properly safeguarded (for example, ensuring that looked after children and young people are protected from sexual exploitation and from alcohol and substance abuse);

 

: training is provided for Elected Members about the Council’s role to prevent and counter child sexual exploitation;

 

: robust arrangements are in place in respect of the placement of children for adoption; the aim is that each child should have an adoptive place within twelve months of the adoption order being approved; the coalition Government has insisted that specific funding is utilised for adoption services;

 

: there has been a net increase in the number of registered fostering households in the Rotherham Borough area during the last twelve months; the majority of foster carers leaving the service have been as a result of retirement or moving away from the Rotherham Borough area; the process of registering foster carers is extremely robust (nationally, 1 in 10 of enquirers will eventually become registered foster carers); the system of monitoring complaints made against foster carers has been improved; it is widely acknowledged that foster caring is very often an arduous task;

 

: reference was made to the coalition Government’s ‘bedroom tax’ (relating to spare bedrooms in residential properties) and its possible impact upon the recruitment of foster carers;

 

: improved systems are in place for the auditing and checking of casework record-keeping; social workers’ caseloads are carefully monitored; there was general discussion of staffing levels and pressure within the Safeguarding Unit;

 

: reference was made to the role of the Looked After Children Council;

 

: training is provided for Elected Members in respect of the Councillors’ corporate parenting role; there is a protocol in place for the guidance of Elected Members undertaking visits of inspection to residential homes for children.

 

Members thanked the officers for their interesting and informative contributions to this meeting.

 

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

 

(2) That the role and functions of the Corporate Parenting Panel be endorsed.

 

(3) That the Improving Lives Select Commission shall receive further reports at future meetings concerning:

 

(a) the progress with the issues raised by the “10 Questions”; and

(b) the use of the pupil premium in respect of services for looked after children.

 

(4) That this Select Commission notes that the Corporate Parenting Group is to consider the recruitment of members to the independent visitor service, in respect of the inspection of residential homes for children.