Agenda item

Cabinet Portfolio: Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working

Strategic Directorate: Children and Young People’s Services

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working and the Interim Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services attended the meeting to present a report that provided an update on the Children and Young People Services (CYPS) Directorate placements spend and the development of further developments of in-house placements of Looked After Children.

In introducing the report, the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working stated it was the Council’s ambition to reduce the number of Looked After Children in the care of the authority to as low a number that could be managed safely as possible.

It was noted that order to set a robust budget for 2019/20 and 2020/21 a review of the CYPS spend had taken place to identify estimated reductions in costs that could be expected to be achieved over and above delivery of existing budget savings. It was further noted that a major element in the reduced budget estimates had been with regard to the placement projections of Looked After Children in the Borough that reflected a transfer in the number of high cost to lower cost placements combined with a reduction the numbers of Looked After Children from 651 to 600 by March 2020 and a further reduction to 541 by March 202. The report stated that at the end of the 2019/20 financial year Looked After Children placements had reduced from 647 on 1 April 2019 to 595 on 31 March 2020, however the placement spend was £5.4m over budget due to the placement mix with significantly higher number of children in “high cost” residential  and independent fostering placements.

It was noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had had a negative impact on the allocated budget and the planned reductions of Looked After Children across different placement types, with more children than anticipated being placed in more costly provision and for these placements to last for a longer period of time that would be usually the case. It was noted also that the pandemic had also led to an increase in the number of children in emergency placements. Members were also advised that while still increasing the projected number of new in-house foster carers had not increased at the levels predicted at the start of the year due to restrictions related to the pandemic.

Members asked for information regarding the backlog of cases in the Family Courts and how this was impacting on the number of Looked After Children. The Interim Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services noted that currently there were 30 children waiting in the court system, noting that this was an incredibly high number. The Interim Strategic Director advised that while new court dates were being added the backlog of cases could take up to four months to be cleared.

Members welcomed the invest to save activity that had been taking place such as the increased recruitment of in-house foster carers but asked that as demand was always greater than supply whether there was any risk averse activity taking place with some children being taken into care when doing so was not the most suitable intervention. The Interim Strategic Director advised that the decision to take any child into care was taken very seriously and at a very senior level, and assured members that all the children that were currently in the authority’s care should be in the authority’s care. The Interim Strategic Director advised that work was always taking place to ensure that families received the most appropriate support for their own circumstances, either from Early Help or from a full social care intervention, and to ensure that these services worked together in the most effective manner possible.

The Chair asked that with children returning to school whether an increase in Looked After Children was anticipated. The Interim Strategic Director advised that there was always an increase in numbers of Looked After Children after the summer holidays as schools played an essential part in identifying children who may be at risk.

The Chair thanked the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working and the Interim Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services for attending the meeting and answering members questions.

Resolved: -

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    That if the number of Looked After Children increases to 630 or more, then a report be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board or the Improving Lives Select Commission, whichever meeting is soonest.