Report of the Chair of Corporate Parenting Board

AGENDA ITEM:

MIDDLESBROUGH COUNCIL EXECUTIVE REPORT

Executive Member for Children, Families & Learning: Cllr. Mike Carr

Director of Children, Families & Learning: Gill Rollings

14th September 2010

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

1. The report summarises issues discussed by the Corporate Parenting Board 22nd April, 24th June and 3rd August 2010 and presents the recommendations of the Board to the Executive for decision.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

2. The Corporate Parenting Board advises the Executive to note the information relating to: a. Care Leavers’ Conference, b. Working Together to Safeguard Children and c. Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2009-2010 d. Family Placement Panel Activity October 2009 – March 2010 e. Statistical Update on Children Looked After f. Adoption Service Annual Report g. Fostering Service Annual Report h. Independent Reviewing Officer’s Annual Report i. Usage of the National Youth Advocacy Service j. Progress on Virtual School and to approve: k. Proposed changes to Corporate Parenting Arrangements l. Corporate Parenting Board Forward Work Programme 2010-2011 m. Adoption Service Statement of Purpose and Children’s Guide 2010- 2011 n. Fostering Service Statement of Purpose and Children’s Guide 2010- 2011 o. That the next annual review of these documents should take place in April 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter

IF THIS IS A KEY DECISION WHICH KEY DECISION TEST APPLIES?

3. It is over the financial threshold (£75,000) It has a significant impact on 2 or more wards  Non Key

1 DECISION IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE

4. For the purposes of the scrutiny call in procedure this report is

Non-urgent  Urgent report

If urgent please give full reasons

BACKGROUND AND EXTERNAL CONSULTATION

5. In accordance with agreed decision-making processes, the work of the Corporate Parenting Board is reported to the Executive and any decisions required are made by the full Executive. This report of the Chair of the Corporate Parenting Board relates to matters discussed by the Board on 22nd April, 24th June and 3rd August 2010.

6. For ease of reference, the recommendations made by the Board have been placed with the relevant subject matters contained within this report.

CARE LEAVERS’ CONFERENCE

7. ‘Creating New Opportunities for Care Leavers in the North East’ took place in February 2010. Information given by the Assistant Director of the Children in Care Division of the Department for Children, Schools and Families was presented to the Board.

8. The main message from Government was that aspirations for children in care should be no less than each parent would have for their own child. Outcomes for children in care should be a ‘litmus test’ of how the ambitions set out in the Children’s Plan were being delivered. The main priorities for care leavers were:  making sure that children did not have to leave care before they were ready,  that all care leavers had access to an appropriate range of accommodation options and  providing the right support to make a successful transition to independent living.

National Research

9. In relation to some key aspects of leaving care, Middlesbrough performed well in comparison with national statistics, as follows:  Nationally, 24% of Care Leavers were aged 16 when they left, with only 6% staying with foster families nine months after their 18th birthday. In Middlesbrough, only two young people, from over 70 receiving a service, had left care when they were 16 between April 2009 and April 2010.  Nationally, the percentage of care leavers in suitable accommodation had risen from 75% in 2003 to 90% in 2009. In Middlesbrough, there was currently only one young person in unsuitable accommodation and this young person was in custody.  Nationally, 67% of young people had a Pathway Plan. In Middlesbrough, the figure is 100%.  Nationally, 64% had a social worker. In Middlesbrough the figure is 100%.

2 New Priorities

10. The government has 4 key priorities:  Introduction of a new statutory framework, which includes new regulations and guidance on care planning and transition to adulthood.  The ‘From Care2Work’ programme - Middlesbrough has signed up to this and has a plan in place to provide work placements. The Pathways Team works closely with the Fairbridge Trust, Community Campus, the Future Jobs Fund and Job Centre Plus to maximise opportunities.  An Education Strategy, which is aimed at improving outcome for care leavers by ensuring that each local authority has a Virtual School Head, every school has a designated teacher, all looked after children have access to one-to-one tuition and a personal education allowance of £500 per year. Members of the Board agreed it would be useful to have an update from the Virtual Head Teacher at a future meeting.  Mainstream programmes on NEETS – Middlesbrough’s Integrated Youth Support Service (IYSS) is committed to providing every young person with a Personal Adviser up to the age of 25. An IYSS Personal Adviser is based with the Pathways team three days a week.

What Works

11. The government has identified the following learning points:  The Right2bCared4 and the Staying Put @18+ pilots have identified the importance of providing a seamless service with multi-agency funding and support, particularly in relation to Housing. Middlesbrough is involved in the Right2bCared4 pilot as a comparator authority and there is a culture of committing to young people looked after until at least age 18.  ‘Leaving Care’ should involve a gradual transition from care placement to independence. Middlesbrough focuses on the ‘transition to adulthood’ rather than ‘leaving care’.  Local commissioning strategies should involve housing agencies and housing support commissioners. The Pathways Team works closely with a range of housing providers and support agencies.  Strategies and Plans reflect the Guidance on Joint Working between Housing and Children’s Services.  Pathway Plans are based on the young person’s ambitions and the support needed to achieve those ambitions. Care leavers are prepared for independence not welfare dependence. Middlesbrough maintains high aspirations for its young people and supports them to achieve their ambitions.  Local Authorities are involved in the From Care2Work programme.  Particular priority is given to supporting excluded groups such as disabled young people, young people known to the Youth Justice system and unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

RECOMMENDATION – CARE LEAVERS’ CONFERENCE

12. The Corporate Parenting Board advises the Executive to note the information relating to the Care Leavers’ Conference.

3 REASONS

13. It is important that Members are aware of national initiatives with regard to Care Leavers and the work being done locally to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people in Middlesbrough.

WORKING TOGETHER TO SAFEGUARD CHILDREN

14. The Corporate Parenting Board considered information regarding the current situation with respect to safeguarding children, including the legislative framework, the statutory responsibilities of the Local Authority and practice examples.

15. In Middlesbrough, the number of children and young people with a Child Protection Plan (CPP) per 10,000 under 18 year olds has continued to increase, remaining above the national average since 2001. For the year 2008/09, when the average rate for England was 31 per 10,000, the figure in Middlesbrough was 97 per 10,000.

16. In March 2010, there were 157 families with a CPP in place. The majority of the children and young people were under four years of age, the gender breakdown was nearly equal, and most were from East Middlesbrough and the Town Centre. The majority of young people subject to a protection plan were under the category of “neglect” which is linked to a range of factors.

17. The number of children and young people looked after in Middlesbrough has remained above the national average since 2001. For the year 2008/09, the average rate for England was 55 per 10,000 and the rate for Middlesbrough was 87.8 per 10,000.

18. The majority of children looked after are placed with foster carers, approximately half of whom are external fostering providers. In March 2010, 17 children and young people were placed in specialist residential placements outside of the area. It was noted that specialist residential placements had a huge budgetary impact, costing between £3.5k and £4k per week.

19. Members were given examples of the types of referral received by the Local Authority and several case studies of the responses provided. The Board agreed that it would be useful for the presentation to be made to all Elected Members at a future date.

RECOMMENDATION – WORKING TOGETHER TO SAFEGUARD CHILDREN

20. The Corporate Parenting Board advises the Executive to note the information relating to working together to safeguard children.

REASON

21. It is important that Members are aware of the measures in place to safeguard children.

4 CORPORATE PARENTING ARRANGEMENTS

22. The Corporate Parenting Board has now been in operation for over ten years and the Annual Report for 2009-2010 summarised the most recent activities and developments. Two key events during the year were the ‘signing off’ of the Pledge by the Council’s Executive and by the Children’s Trust Board and the publication of the “Care Matters Ministerial Stocktake Report 2009” (reported to Executive on 27/4/10).

23. A number of changes to the current corporate parenting arrangements in Middlesbrough have been proposed. Recent statutory guidance requires the Mayor, the Chief Executive, the Executive Member for Children, Families and Learning, and the Director of Children, Families and Learning to fulfil specific roles in respect of safeguarding children and corporate parenting. This guidance was considered by the Executive on 15 September 2009 and it was confirmed that in respect of corporate parenting, the Board would continue to advise the Executive in relation to enabling the Council to fulfil its corporate parenting responsibilities and that the Children and Learning Scrutiny Panel would continue to consider relevant safeguarding issues in its programme of work.

24. As part of the review of arrangements, it was proposed that:

a. The Executive Member for Children, Families and Learning would undertake the role of Chair of the Corporate Parenting Board. b. The Chief Executive, the Director of Children, Families and Learning, the Deputy Director, Safeguarding, would be ex-officio Members of the Corporate Parenting Board, acting in an advisory capacity.

In addition, Members of the Board proposed that the Chair of the Council, the Deputy Mayor and the Executive Member for Social Care should also be ex- officio Members of the Corporate Parenting Board.

c. The Corporate Parenting Board would continue to meet six weekly to receive reports and hold issue-focussed events, involving others such as the Children in Care Council, on an alternating basis. Recommendations to the Executive would be made on a quarterly basis. d. Following each meeting of the Corporate Parenting Board, any recommendations made by the Board would be referred to the relevant department, statutory agency or partnership organisation to enable their response to be included in the Chair’s report to the Executive. e. Clear links between the Corporate Parenting Board and the proposed Children in Care Council would be established. This would include representation from the Children in Care Council on the Corporate Parenting Board and occasional forums on issues raised by children and young people. f. Further work would be undertaken to review all other arrangements and mechanisms related to corporate parenting, including:  Implementation and review of The Pledge.  Rota Visitors.  Training for Elected Members.  Links with the Middlesbrough Safeguarding Children Board and the Children and Young People’s Trust.  Options for developing Champions for Children Looked After amongst Officers across the Council and in partner organisations. 5  Information Provision.

25. It was highlighted that there was currently a vacancy for a Rota Visitor for Gleneagles and Councillor Dryden agreed to take up this role.

26. A key element of the Corporate Parenting Board Forward Work Programme (Appendix 1) will be to take forward the review of corporate parenting arrangements. As part of that process, it was proposed that a new approach be adopted to the structure of the work programme as follows:  All regular performance data information and reports required under regulations will be packaged differently and considered at two business meetings during the year.  There will be two meetings that focus on strategic planning issues, timed to inform planning cycles and budgetary processes. Discussions will be undertaken with partner agencies in relation to developing a Multi-agency Looked After Partnership that will meet with the Corporate Parenting Board as part of that process.  At least two meetings will have a specific focus, for example, Education and Health. A wider range of people will be invited to attend and these meetings might take the form of a seminar.  Meetings with children and young people will be arranged following discussion with them as to their views and preferences. In the interim, it might be appropriate for one or two Members to meet informally with children and young people and this will be arranged on an ad hoc basis.

RECOMMENDATION – CORPORATE PARENTING ARRANGEMENTS

27. The Corporate Parenting Board advises the Executive to approve the proposed changes in corporate parenting arrangements as detailed in paragraph 27 and the Corporate Parenting Board Forward Work Programme 2010-2011 (attached at Appendix 1).

REASONS

28. Adopting this approach will clarify the roles and responsibilities of elected Members and senior managers and consolidate arrangements in relation to the authority’s corporate parenting responsibilities.

BUSINESS MEETING – 3RD AUGUST 2010

29. In accordance with the above change in approach, the meeting of the Corporate Parenting Board on 3rd August considered a number of business reports covering the following issues:  Family Placement Panel Activity Report October 2009-March 2010  Children Looked After Statistical Update  Middlesbrough Council Adoption Service Annual Report for 2010  Middlesbrough Council Fostering Service Annual Report for 2010  Independent Reviewing Officers Annual Report  Use of National Youth Advocacy Service April 2009 to March 2010  Progress on Virtual School The full reports and minutes of the meeting are available on the Committee Information System (COMMIS). Key issues discussed in each report are as follows:

6 Family Placement Panel Activity Report October 2009-March 2010

30. The Family Placement Panel continues to be very active and had met on 17 occasions to consider 62 items. One foster carer had been de-registered as a result of concerns about the standard of care provided. The number of new foster carers has been quite low but there are currently 18 assessments of potential carers being undertaken.

Children Looked After Statistical Update

31. As at 31st March 2010, there were 325 children looked after, which represents a 19% increase on March 2009. This compares with a 1.5% increase between March 2008 and March 2009. During 2009/10, 187 children became looked after compared with 152 during 2008/09, a 23% increase. [NB Children who become looked after during the year, may not have been looked after on 31st March 2010.] The table below shows the wards in which those children were living at the time that they were taken into care.

Locality Area Children coming into care 2009/10 Ward North 27.3% Gresham 29 Middlehaven 9 University 7 Ayresome 6 East 34.2% North Ormesby & Brambles 22 Pallister 19 Park End 11 Thorntree 10 Beckfield 2 South 4.3% Coulby Newham 4 Hemlington 2 Marton 1 Stainton & Thornton 1 West 27.8% Beechwood 14 Ladgate 9 Linthorpe 9 Clairville 8 Park 8 Brookfield 2 Kader 2

Not Recorded 12 6.4% Total 187 100.0%

32. In relation to placement stability, the number of children with three or more placements has improved (down from 12.4% to 11.7%) and is broadly in line with national (10.7%) and statistical neighbour (10.8%) averages for 2008/09.

7 33. In relation to educational attainment, performance at Key Stage 2 has returned to levels above both the national and statistical neighbour averages for both subjects. At Key Stage 4, all of the young people in the cohort were entered for at least one GCSE and all secured at least one pass at grade G or above. However, none reached the government’s headline measure of 5 or more grade A*-C GCSEs including English and maths.

34. In relation to care leavers, the percentage of care leavers in suitable accommodation, at 95.2%, remains above the available national comparator level for 2008/09 and is in line with statistical neighbours. All but one care leaver were deemed to be in suitable accommodation as of 31st March 2010. The percentage of care leavers in employment, education or training, at 66.7%, shows sustained improvement and remains broadly in line with both the available national and statistical neighbour comparators for 2008/09.

Middlesbrough Council Adoption Service Annual Report for 2010

35. The level of activity relating to adoption plans and placements of children had increased throughout the year, due to the sharp increase in the number of children looked after. This trend will continue throughout the year ahead, as monitoring showed that in the period from 1 April to 31 July 2010, there had been a total of eleven children who had had adoption plans approved by Family Placement Panel. Consequently, the main issue for the Adoption Service in the year ahead will be to maintain the high standard of service when taking into account a substantial increase in workload.

36. The Statement of Purpose and the Children’s Guide to Middlesbrough Council Adoption Service for 2010/2011 were submitted for approval, as required under Regulations. Members suggested that the content and layout of the statement of purpose should be reviewed to assess whether it could be made more user-friendly whilst also providing the statutory information required.

Middlesbrough Council Fostering Service Annual Report for 2010

37. Despite staffing pressures during the year, the team had run four fostering preparation groups and was currently meeting its recruitment targets for new carers. However, due to the number of carers who had either retired or been de-registered from the Service, this increased activity had not had the desired impact in terms of numbers of placements. Middlesbrough has worked collaboratively with Redcar & Cleveland in relation to provision of preparation training and is hoping to make efficiency savings during the coming year by working collaboratively with other Tees Valley authorities in relation to the recruitment and preparation of foster carers.

38. A key task during the coming year will be the implementation of new standards, issued by the Children’s Workforce Development Council, relating to the training and support of foster carers. The service must comply with these standards by 2011 and compliance will be monitored by OFSTED as part of the inspection of the Fostering Service. Training will be targeted to the individual needs of the Foster Carer and each carer will have a Personal Development Plan. Implementation of these standards is likely to cause pressure in terms of staff time and financial resources.

8 39. The Statement of Purpose and the Children’s Guide to Middlesbrough Council Fostering Service for 2010/2011 were submitted for approval, as required under Regulations.

Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) Annual Report

40. The government has recently revised the statutory guidance for IROs to extend the responsibility of the IRO to monitor the local authority’s performance in relation to a child’s case. The intention is to enable the IRO to have an effective, independent oversight of the child’s case and ensure that the child’s interests are protected throughout the care planning process. The guidance highlights the need for the IRO to see and speak to the child prior to their statutory review taking place.

41. There are currently 4.6 IROs carrying an average case load of 150 cases, which is above average for the region. IROs also carry out foster carer reviews and disruption meetings (unplanned placement break down), train staff and provide quality assurance in auditing and case work. The increase in the number of children looked after has caused pressure on the IROs to meet their commitments in the statutory reviewing processes. In particular, there have been some difficulties in relation to reviews for care leavers

42. In relation to the authority’s performance, it was reported that:  Formal performance clinics have been established, which monitor social work team performance against national indicators. These have been invaluable in maintaining standards for children in the looked after system in avoiding delays in planning for children.  A newly established panel of managers provides an overview of cases in relation to kinship care, placement with parents’ regulations and approval for long term plans for children over 12 years of age.  Issues with Personal Education Plans have been identified and work is ongoing to address this via performance clinics.  Despite the increase in the number of children looked after, children continue to be seen regularly by their social worker. Systems have also been put in place to allow for communications to take place via texts or e-mail.

Use of National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) April 2009 to March 2010

43. NYAS provides an independent advocacy service for children looked after and children in need under a contract shared with seven local authorities across the north-east. The service is particularly well-used in Middlesbrough.

44. Between April 2009 and March 2010, there were 42 new cases in Middlesbrough, 21 of which arose from self-referral by the child or young person. During the year, 16 males and 26 females, aged between 10 and 20 years, used the service. Of these, 30 were aged between 13 and 17 years.

45. NYAS advocates attended a wide range of meetings including Court Hearings, Planning Meetings, Looked After Reviews, Placement Meetings, Child Protection Conferences, Family Group Conferences, Exclusion Panel Hearings, Mental Health Tribunals and point-of-contact referrals. Issues most frequently raised related to Placement, Contact with Family, Education, Leaving Care & Accommodation, and Children’s Rights and Entitlements.

9 Progress on Virtual School

46. Following DfE advice, the Virtual School Head Teacher role will be integrated with the Looked After Children Education Service and other Local Authority services to form the Virtual School.

47. All Head Teachers and Designated Virtual School Head Teachers have received information outlining the Local Authority’s statutory duties in relation to children looked after. Middlesbrough has requested two specific actions from school leaders to enable the Virtual School to operate effectively, as follows:  A Pupil Tracking System is being piloted and additional teacher assessment data has been requested in order to test the functionality of the system.  Completion of a Children Looked After Audit Tool. The information provided would be used for individual school development of the role of Designated Teacher as well as informing knowledge of the wider picture across Middlesbrough. Information from the audit would be confidential and would help to inform the support that would be developed through the Virtual School.

RECOMMENDATIONS – BUSINESS MEETING 3rd AUGUST 2010

48. The Corporate Parenting Board advises the Executive to note the information relating to: a. Care Leavers’ Conference b. Working Together to Safeguard Children c. Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2009-2010 d. Family Placement Panel Activity October 2009 – March 2010 e. Statistical Update on Children Looked After f. Adoption Service Annual Report g. Fostering Service Annual Report h. Independent Reviewing Officer’s Annual Report i. Use of the National Youth Advocacy Service j. Progress on the Virtual School

49. The Corporate Parenting Board advises the Executive to approve:

k. Proposed changes to Corporate Parenting Arrangements l. Corporate Parenting Board Forward Work Programme 2010-2011 m. Adoption Service Statement of Purpose and Children’s Guide 2010-2011 n. Fostering Service Statement of Purpose and Children’s Guide 2010-2011 o. That the next annual review of these documents should take place in April 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter

REASONS

50. The above recommendations support the local authority in fulfilling its duties as a corporate parent.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

51. All social care services are delivered within a framework of anti-discriminatory practice and there are no specific issues arising from the matters discussed within this report. 10 OPTION APPRAISAL/RISK ASSESSMENT

52. All the matters considered within this report relate to meeting statutory requirements with regard to services for children looked after and care leavers. The key risks associated with failing to support the above recommendations are that children and young people who are looked after by the local authority would not receive the services that they need or achieve the outcomes that the local authority, as a good parent, would wish them to achieve. Further risks are that the local authority would not comply with statutory requirements; and that services would be judged to perform poorly in external inspection processes.

FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND WARD IMPLICATIONS

53. There are no immediate financial or legal implications arising from this report. This report relates to town-wide services and will be of interest to all Members.

BACKGROUND PAPERS

54. The following background papers were used in the preparation of this report:  Minutes of, and reports to, the Corporate Parenting Board meetings held on 22nd April, 24th June and 3rd August 2010.

Councillor Mike Carr Chair of Corporate Parenting Board

AUTHOR: Sue Little, Children’s Participation Officer TEL NO: 01642 728706 ______Address: 1st Floor Vancouver House, Gurney Street, Middlesbrough, TS1 1EL Website: http://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk

11 APPENDIX 1

Corporate Parenting Board Outline Forward Work Programme 2010-2011

Date Type of Meeting Comments

24/6/2010 Overview of corporate parenting issues Introductory meeting – initial ‘training’ for new Members

3/8/2010 Business Meeting: Reports required to Advocacy Annual Report April 2009 to comply with regulations, March 2010 guidance and protocols Performance Data April 2009 – March 2010 (profile, trends and Ward-based Data) Family Placement Panel Activity Report September 2009 to March 2010 Adoption Annual Report including Statement of Purpose & Children’s Guide Fostering Annual Report including Statement of Purpose & Children’s Guide Independent Reviewing Officers’ Annual Report April 2009 – March 2010

30/9/2010 Strategic Planning Meeting: Opportunity to invite Agenda under development strategic partners Chair’s Report on Partnerships in Corporate Parenting Reports relating to the Children’s Trust and the Middlesbrough Safeguarding Children Board

11/11/2010 Focus on Education Lead by the Virtual Head

Opportunity to invite representation from Schools & Colleges

12 Date Type of Meeting Comments

6/1/2011 Business Meeting: Reports required to Overview of Support from Integrated Youth comply with regulations, Service & Youth Offending Service guidance and protocols Pathways Leaving Care Service Annual Report Family Placement Panel Activity Report April 2010 to September 2010 Performance Data Five Rivers Annual Report incorporating Partnership Board Report Summary of Regulation 33 Reports & Rota Visits April 2009 – October 2010 Children Missing from Placement (confidential)

17/2/2011 Focus on Health Opportunity to invite key Health Managers

31/3/2011 Strategic Planning Meeting: Opportunity to invite Agenda under development strategic partners