Issue - meetings

Presentation from the Head of Corporate Parenting.

The Panel received a presentation from the Head of Corporate Parenting including key updates on feedback from the recent Children in Care Council, the performance scorecard, demographics and disproportionality, the Independent Care Review, and challenges and achievements.

The Head of Corporate Parenting updated the Panel on the performance scorecard to the end of quarter 3, up to March 2022 and made particular reference to the following:

·                 With regard to timeliness of reviews of Looked After Children, the percentage had been affected by long term sickness absence.  However, the appointment of agency staff was expected to put it back on track.

·                 There was concern that 13.8% of CLA had experienced three or more moves in a year.  There had been some positive moves such as achieving a long term placement on the third move and the statistics had been affected by foster carers catching covid and other illnesses.

·                 The setting up of a Placement Stability Panel was under consideration to monitor those CLA being looked after for more than two and a half years and in the same placement for two years.

·                 Performance in relation to dental checks and NEET is significantly better than the statistical neighbour and national averages, and this is something to be proud of.

A Member of the Panel asked other Members to encourage colleagues to attend the appropriate training and events to celebrate the achievements of the young people as all Members of the Council were corporate parents.

It was agreed that background references to the performance scorecard would be useful as the numbers of CLA referred to in the areas shaded red could be small and therefore the percentages could be distorted.

RESOLVED:  That the presentation be noted.