To receive a presentation by the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services.  She will reflect on the progress of the Corporate Parenting Panel to date and will also point to good practice elsewhere, including new expectations by Ofsted for enhanced partnership working.

The Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services will invite members of the Panel to make suggestions to improve and develop the work of the Panel in the next municipal year.

Members received a presentation by the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services on the role and remit of the Corporate Parenting Panel.  The presentation set out the progress made by the Panel since Central Bedfordshire Council had begun on 1 April 2009 and the challenges which she felt the Panel faced.  A diagram illustrating the relationship between the Panel and related bodies such as the Children in Care Council, Children’s Trust and Executive was circulated at the meeting.

Working through her presentation the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services highlighted the question as to whether the Panel involved foster carers appropriately and expressed concern at the absence of any foster carer representation at the meeting.  She queried whether this absence was the result of the Panel meetings becoming too formal.  She also raised the wider question of what purpose the Panel served.

The Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services then raised a number of other issues for debate including whether there was a successful involvement of young people in the Panel and how a succession of senior officers in Children’s Services each with their own views on how the Panel should work, had impacted on its success.  She also referred to the lack of recognition of the role of officers in general as corporate parents, a position emphasised by the absence of training provision for officers on this role.  The Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services stressed the importance of the ‘Whole Council’ approach in which officers from across the Council, not restricted by statutory regulation, could contribute towards improving outcomes for Looked After Children.  Likewise, the Council’s committees could consider the impact of their decisions on Looked After Children and take action which would support them as a ‘Whole Life’ approach.

The Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services referred to the testing of the Council’s practice against those of other local authorities.

In response to the above full and frank discussion took place amongst the Panel and a number of observations, views and suggestions were made as follows:

a)     Meetings – the Panel’s meetings were felt to be too formal and too much like committee meetings.  These were contrasted with Corporate Parenting meetings held at the former Bedfordshire County Council where meetings were informal and attendees would sit in a circle, eating together;

b)     Time of meetings – Panel meetings were usually held at 11.00 a.m. when Looked After Children were at school or college and so were unable to attend.  Further, today’s meeting had been held on a teacher training day thus preventing foster carers from attending.  Future meetings should not be held on teacher training days or school holidays.  Some evening meetings, starting at 5.00 or 6.00 p.m., should be considered and a buffet tea provided;

c)      Agenda items – foster carers and Looked After Children had no opportunity to raise items at Panel meetings.  They should have ‘slots’ set aside on Panel agendas where they could raise items for consideration;

d)     Representation – foster carers and Looked After Children should be encouraged to attend the Panel’s meetings.  The Looked After Children attending should be varied so that a range of views was presented to reflect ages and other factors.  Membership could include a young adult who was a former Looked After Child and who could bring his or her personal experience of the system to meetings;

e)     Corporate parenting role – some councillors were not aware of how important their role as corporate parents was and staff in general did not know of their role as corporate parents.  Members in general should attend at least one Panel meeting a year and information for staff on their responsibilities could be included in their induction packs.  Reference was made to the advocacy role undertaken by Members at the legacy authority which enabled a closer relationship to be established with Looked After Children ;

f)        Knowledge and training – during the Ofsted inspection Members felt they had insufficient training and background knowledge on the service.  It was felt that members should be able to observe the officers undertaking service delivery.

g)     Comparison with other Panels – Members should visit other local authorities to observe their Corporate Parenting Panels in operation and invite representatives from those Panels to observe and comment on Central Bedfordshire’s Panel.

In conclusion the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services advised the meeting that Ofsted had no set organisational template on which Corporate Parenting Panels should be based.  Instead Ofsted placed emphasis on a Panel’s positive impact and enthusiasm.  She stressed that the Panel should focus on its core purpose and drive outcomes.

RESOLVED

1          that a working group composed of Councillors Mrs A Barker,

D Bowater, A L Dodwell (subject to confirmation), Mrs S A Goodchild, M A G Versalllion and B Wells be formed to consider best practice having regard to Corporate Parenting meetings conducted elsewhere;

2          that the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services identify those officers willing to assist the working group identified in resolution 1 above;

3          that, for the sake of speed and efficiency, working group’s business be conducted by email rather than formal meeting;

4          that the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services organise a trip for the working group to visit other local authorities with regard to their Corporate Parenting meetings;

5          that the trip referred to in resolution 3 above take place before Christmas 2012 if possible and certainly prior to the next meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel on 4 February 2013 so that any findings can be incorporated into any associated report;

6          that a draft development plan be prepared by the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Children’s Services for submission to the next meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel on 4 February 2013;

7          that the Committee Services Officer write to the foster carer representatives on the Corporate Parenting Panel to apologise for the November meeting of the Panel being held on a teacher training day when foster carers would not be available to attend;

8          that the Committee Services Officer confirm that the next meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel is not scheduled to be held during a school holiday or teacher training day;

9          that the Committee Services Officer ensure that the meetings of the Corporate Parenting Panel to be held in the next municipal year are not scheduled to be held during a school holiday or teacher training day;