Minutes:
1. Mrs J Whittle gave an oral update on the following issues:-
Ofsted Inspection – the recent unannounced inspection had had a very good outcome. The number of referrals has fallen and the number of cases unallocated after 28 days is down to 100. Priorities to focus on now include the quality of assessments and moving a child into a permanent placement as soon as possible.
Kent Assisted Boarding Scheme update – Mrs Whittle had recently met with Tony Doran, the Royal National Children’s Foundation and Head Teachers of boarding schools. The focus now is to identify the children who will benefit from the scheme and to increase SCS staff’s understanding of the concept of assisted boarding.
Reducing Court delays – Mrs Whittle and Mrs Imray recently met with a Judge to discuss reducing the delay in hearing child protection and adoption cases
Phase 2 of the Improvement Plan – a specialist LAC team has been established, whose aim is to return a LAC to their family, if appropriate, or place them for adoption. Reducing the number of children becoming LAC is still a priority. Regular casework audits will be undertaken to asses the quality of the service, and district teams will be subject to mock inspections.
CAMHS waiting times – waiting times have now been reduced to 16 weeks, with a fast track service for LAC. The commissioning of a community CAMHS model will help deliver services.
Southwark Judgement – this judgement, 18 months ago, which had said that any young person under the age of 18 who presents as homeless should be offered accommodation by the local authority, will have cost implications for the KCC of £1.0m – £1.5m per annum.
Reimbursement of health costs of LAC placed by other local authorities – this is now starting to be recouped, following a recommendation to Cabinet by the POSC. An update on this will be presented to a future meeting of the POSC.
2. Members then discussed the issues raised in this and the written update tabled, and the following views were expressed:-
a) Mrs Whittle and Mr Newsam were congratulated on the huge progress which had been achieved with the Improvement Plan and other issues. Members found the sense of achievement very encouraging, and commented that their confidence in the information they are given has now been restored;
b) for the boarding scheme, KCC should not set up special state schools, which might segregate LAC from other children, but should place them in existing private and independent schools. The school chosen should be the one which best suits the child;
c) Mrs Whittle pointed out that, as part of addressing concerns about public money being used to fund private school placements, it should be borne in mind that statistics show that a LAC is more likely to go to prison than to university. In giving a LAC the best possible start, their future demands on public money can be reduced;
d) the adoption process now takes too long – sometimes two years - and work should aim to reduce this time back to the few months that it used to take in the 1950s and 60s;
e) some of the questions asked of prospective adopters by Adoption Panels are very intrusive and must deter some people from applying. The process should be streamlined and the questions reviewed, which should also make the process quicker;
f) the progress on the CAMHS service is encouraging, but Members would like to know the costs of these improvements. A report on various health commissioning issues, including the reimbursement of health costs for LAC placed by other local authorities, will be made to the POSC’s March 2012 meeting;
g) in increasing the number of Foster Carers, Members sought reassurance that quality checks are not being rushed. Mr Newsam confirmed that vetting is as rigorous and robust as ever but could also be quick. Martin Narey’s report on adoption had highlighted the slowness of Foster Carer recruitment as a national challenge. Mr Narey’s report will be helpful in addressing a range of issues relating to fostering and adoption;
h) the KCC communications team is currently looking at the location of Foster Carers across the county in relation to the location of LAC, to see if the former are where they are most needed. Placement of LAC with Foster Carers tends to be driven by supply of Carers rather than by the needs of LAC. A report on Kent’s Foster Carer recruitment campaign will be made to the February 2012 meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel;
i) it had previously been management policy to place a child with in-house Foster Carers before using Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs). This meant, however, that some children were being moved further away to find the nearest in-house Foster Carer, rather than using an IFA carer closer to their home, and this policy has subsequently been discontinued;
j) social worker recruitment has made use of social networking media to reach and attract experienced social workers from across the UK. Kent’s recruitment campaign has had to be robust to attract good quality candidates; and
k) there is a need for more detail and increased monitoring of children recorded as ‘missing’, although Members were assured that Kent has a very strong process to address missing children and trafficking. A report by the Children’s Commissioner, addressing trafficking, is due shortly and is expected to recommend Kent’s process as a model for other local authorities to follow. As a port authority, Kent will always have to be aware of, and robust in, dealing with trafficking, although this issue is a national and international one. A report on this issue will be made to the POSC’s January 2012 meeting.
3. RESOLVED that:-
a) the information given in the oral and written updates and in responses to comments and questions be noted; and
b) Members’ thanks and congratulations be passed to the officers who have worked with Mrs Whittle and Mr Newsam to achieve progress on the Improvement Plan and other issues.