Agenda item

To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Members for Specialist Children’s Services and Adult Social Care and Public Health, the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and the Director of Public Health.

(1)       Mr Oakford (Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services) gave a verbal update.  He said he had visited a number of children’s centres as part of a regular programme of visits as well as visiting the children’s services office in Gravesend.  He said he had received briefings on the children’s centres that were being reviewed by Early Help and Prevention Services in a similar way to an Ofsted inspection and that the Integrated Children’s Services Board had been briefed on child sexual exploitation.  

(2)       Mr Oakford spoke about the impact of Operation Stack on the number of young migrants arriving at Dover and said that KCC services were stretched as a result.  He said he had met with the Leader and Kent MPs to discuss a programme of dispersal and the Leader had written to the Home Secretary, Theresa May. Ministers had been advised that KCC would have no option but to place children out of the county.  He said that consideration was being given to opening a temporary reception centre in a former residential home in Whitstable.  The former home was due for demolition in 2016 and commitments had been given to parents of children at the school and nursery and to the local community that the planned school expansion would go ahead and that the proposed reception centre would be temporary.  He said the English Defence League had posted unpleasant comments on social media and planned to protest outside a consultation event planned for Thursday 23 July.

(3)       Mr Ireland (Corporate Director for Social Care, Health and Wellbeing) said that given the current rate of arrivals a second reception centre would become full very quickly.  He also said that the ability to place those who had been through the assessment process was very limited and services were operating at capacity.  He said additional staff to conduct assessments and independent reviewing officers to ensure the needs of look after children were met had been recruited but the rate of arrivals was continuing to increase and on a number of occasions there had been no alternative to leaving the children in the port overnight.

(4)       Mr Ireland said that a national enquiry into historic child abuse chaired by Justice Goddard was underway and all local authorities had been advised about the scope of the enquiry and the type of records they might be asked to provide.  He said the authority was planning to respond appropriately to those who came forward with questions about historic issues and staff were engaged in identifying relevant records going back over the last 50-60 years.

(5)       Mr Ireland said the authority had adopted the Signs of Safety, a model and statement of how safeguarding would be managed and that staff were being trained.

(6)       Mr Ireland said that the authority had agreed to participate in the accredited social worker programme following a request form the Department of Education and that a more detailed report would be brought to a future meeting of the cabinet committee.

(7)       Mr Ireland concluded by saying that the authority was ready for its Ofsted inspection and as yet had not received a notification of a date.

(8)       In response to a question Mr Oakford said that staff and district managers generally welcomed the most recent review of children’s centres and considered that it helped them to develop and add value to the service. 

(9)       Mr Ireland said that when young people, including unaccompanied asylum seeking minors, were placed outside the county, KCC retained responsibility for their supervision and support.  Where placements were made outside the county, the receiving authority could be asked to enter into a voluntary agreement to supervise the young people and unless such agreement was forthcoming the responsibility would remain with KCC.

(10)     He also said there was no evidence to suggest that there were any issues between local residents and the reception centre at Millbank and on that basis assurance could be offered to Whitstable residents.  An additional reception centre at Whitstable would be temporary as the building would be demolished to enable the school to expand.

(11)     The cabinet committee then watched a DVD – Young People and Emotional Wellbeing. 

(12)     Following the DVD comments were made about: the capacity of schools to support young people; changes and reductions in the youth service, the careers service and Connexions; the structures of a particular school in Canterbury which provided particularly good support for pupils; the value of the work of detached youth workers; the work of Dandelion Time, a charity based in East Farleigh; the need to build emotional resilience among young people; the need to consider family and other therapies rather than relying solely on referrals to CAMHS; and the value of older children mentoring younger ones.

(13)     The verbal updates were noted.