Agenda item

1.         Mrs J Whittle gave an oral update on the following:-

Children’s Services Improvement Panel – the Children’s Services Improvement Panel is working well as a cross-party body and can tackle issues in depth, for example, Performance Management and the Quality Assurance Framework, to build the service back up to being ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

Corporate Parenting Panel – The Corporate Parenting Panel is also working well.

Progress on Improvement Plan – huge progress had been achieved since Mr Newsam had taken up his post, for example in addressing backlogs and assessment timetables.  Part of the next phase of improvement will be to address the quality of casework.

Independent Review of Adoption - Martin Narey is shortly to complete his review of Kent’s Adoption service.  This has taken longer than envisaged due the size of Kent’s Children’s Services unit, which is the second largest in the UK.  A report on this is to go to the Corporate Parenting Panel on 5 December and to County Council on 15 December. 

Foster Carer recruitment – the county now has over 700 Foster Carers to look after its 1,200 LAC.  As the number of LAC has increased, the KCC has also had to engage Foster Carers via IFAs.  The issue of the number of LAC being placed in Thanet continues to appear in the media.  The Chairman referred to an initiative to recruit new Foster Carers via schools, which was being trialled in Dartford, and former employees of Pfizer have also been approached about becoming Foster Carers.  Kent’s unit costs for its Fostering service are lower than the national average due to the number of in-house Foster Carers.

Assisted Boarding Scheme – a meeting with Head Teachers is to take place shortly. Some places on a scheme could be free or subsidised, and the Royal National Children’s Foundation is able/has offered to sponsor some places.

Short Breaks statement – this will be made on 1 October and relates to short breaks for disabled children and their parents.

CAMHS services for LAC placed by other Local Authorities – work is in progress to recover the money spent by Kent on providing these services. A further report will be made to the November meeting of the POSC.

Costs of care to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children and Young People awaiting repatriation – discussions with the Home Office are going on around allowing for more funding in the KCC’s base budget to cover this.

Social Workers in Schools scheme – it is planned to pilot a scheme to place Social Workers in schools, as this is a vital tool in helping to prevent children becoming LAC and/or having a Child Protection Plan.  A further report will be made to the November meeting of the POSC.

Corporate Parenting training – training sessions are going well, and a feedback report will be considered by the CPP on 7 October.

Early Intervention and Preventative Strategy (EIPS) - A further report will be made to the November meeting of the POSC.

2.         Arising from comments and questions from Members, the following points were highlighted:-

• data could identify some London Boroughs as sending more LAC to Kent, and Mrs Whittle undertook to advise Members outside the meeting of those Boroughs sending the most.  It would then be possible to press the Minister Tim Lawton to write to these authorities about reducing the number they send;

• LAC placed away from their home county are not supposed to be placed more than 20 miles away from their home, and although this is a best practice convention it is not enforceable by law.  Mrs Whittle undertook to advise Members of how many LAC placements adhere to this rule;

• the excessive amount of paperwork issued to Adoption Panels, on which many KCC Members serve, has been identified both by Members and by  Martin Narey in his review of the service. Although paperwork must be thorough and complete, there is scope to look at streamlining what is provided to Adoption Panels;

• Foster Carers in Kent appreciate and praise the support they receive from the KCC’s Adoption service.  Existing Foster Carers around the county could play a part in recruiting more Foster Carers.  Mrs Whittle undertook to advise Members of the percentage of KCC in-house Foster Carers who have joined the service recently;

• The number and distribution of LAC around the county shapes the number of Foster Carers required in any one area, and Mrs Whittle undertook to advise Members of where in the county Kent’s own LAC are placed.

3.         RESOLVED that the information given in the update and in response to comments and questions be noted, with thanks.