Agenda item

To receive a report which updates Members on the position statement for services within Specialist Children’s Services regarding Looked After Children (LAC) placed in Kent by Other Local Authorities (OLA) and the impact upon schools and Kent’s Children in Care and Youth Justice Services.

1.    Sarah Hammond (Interim Director of Specialist Children’s Services) introduced the report which set out a position statement for services within Specialist Children’s Services regarding Looked After Children placed in Kent by Other Local Authorities and the impact upon schools and Kent’s Children in Care and Youth Justice Services.

2.    Matt Dunkley reported on Kent’s position nationally with regards to LAC, he said that LAC had been a matter of concern in Kent for many years but highlighted the importance of setting realistic targets.

a)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that Kent had a statutory duty to publish a local offer letter for each area of Kent. She added that the placing Local Authority equally had a duty to request the local offer letter and consult with Kent for the needs of their young people.

b)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that the Local Authorities were aware of their own ongoing costs and said that it was the hosting authority’s responsibility to meet the costs of educating and transporting a child.

c)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that the difficulties present throughout the county in relation to LAC were well documented. She said that Kent were always clear about the risks that were associated with OLA LAC and if children were placed somewhere without alerting Kent, Kent would follow up to make the other Local Authorities aware of the challenges.

d)    In response to a question, Matt Dunkley explained the current position in Thanet with relation to LAC and said that it was important to recognise that many of the LAC were victims of their circumstances.

e)    The Chairman said that a progress report on OLA LAC would be added to the work programme.

f)     In response to a question, Matt Dunkley discussed the percentages of children living within each of the London boroughs and the effects that the population differences in each area had had on the statistics. Sarah Hammond said that she would try to find out the exact number of LAC in each area as opposed to percentages.

g)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that the figures within the report did not include care leavers, the duties to care leavers in relation to personal advisors and ongoing support remained with the placing authority. However, the housing duties did fall on the local borough and district councils.

h)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that Kent were in discussion with providers about the different views on the district-based data presented within the report. She expressed the importance of continuing to have conversations with providers and the placing authorities.

i)     In response to a question, Matt Dunkley said that residential homes were subject to the regulatory Ofsted inspection. If they were becoming inadequate, Ofsted would automatically warn the post Local Authority and the Local Authority who had children placed there of the fact they were becoming inadequate and what the implications were.

j)     In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that Croydon were the other Local Authority with a larger number of UASC which added to the overall numbers of LAC.

k)    In response to a question, Matt Dunkley said that some schools in Kent had refused direction for placement and were asking for the Secretary of State to personally direct.

l)     In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that she would liaise with Scott Bagshaw (Head of Fair Access) to retrieve the number of OLA LAC who were home educated, this information would be circulated to Members of the Committee.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.