To consider a report which sets out the Corporate Parenting Approach Plan 2014 – 2017 and accompanying Action Plan and seeks the Panel’s support for the Approach Plan’s implementation.

The Panel considered a report summarising the key points in the plan entitled ‘Our Approach to Corporate Parenting in Central Bedfordshire Council 2014 – 2017’.  A copy of the above Approach plan, which was an Ofsted requirement, was attached at Appendix A to the report.  Members were asked to note the Approach plan’s content and support its implementation.

The meeting noted that the Approach plan consisted of the following three sections:

·         Section one described the legislative framework, leading to the rationale in creating the new Corporate Parenting Service and its achievement to date

·         Section two set out the priorities and seven strategic objectives for 2014 – 2017

·         Section three described the Corporate Parenting Panel’s monitoring role.

In addition there were four appendices to the Approach plan covering the following:

·         Central Bedfordshire’s pledge to Children in Care

·         the Charter to Care Leavers

·         the Action Plan produced by the Corporate Parenting Operations Group which set out the action required to implement the Approach plan

·         the Sufficiency Plan which outlined how the Council would meet its statutory duty in securing, as far as was reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation within its area to meet the needs of Central Bedfordshire Council’s Looked After Children and Care Leavers.  The Sufficiency Plan also captured the known demand for accommodation for Looked After Children and Care Leavers and provided details of how the Council would commission and influence accommodation provision and other types of provision to meet changing demand.

In response to a Member’s query the Chairman stated that not all members of the Council were as aware of their responsibilities as Corporate Parents as they should be.  Although training sessions had taken place on this matter not all Members had attended.  The Chairman stated that he had been advised that such training could not be made mandatory but he intended to introduce a further programme of training sessions following the elections in May.

On the basis that most Looked after Children originated from families experiencing hardship a Member asked whether the Council was doing sufficient to address the growing problem of families, living in socially deprived areas, who experienced difficulty in coping and whose children were on the edge of care.  The Assistant Director Children’s Services Operations replied that, in such circumstances, the Council, in cooperation with the Health Services, would take supportive action to prevent the situation from worsening.  In response to another Member’s comments regarding the provision of assistance from such bodies as the local church the Assistant Director Children’s Services Operations acknowledged the contribution that they made and the importance of a coordinated response.  He referred to the development of the Council’s locality teams which provided links between groups to enable such a response to take place.  The Director of Children’s Services warned of the problem of creating a culture of dependency within some families and explained that the aim was, instead, to help the formation of resilience.

A Member suggested a number of amendments to the Approach Plan regarding the inclusion of various dates and page numbers and requested that an update report be submitted at a future Panel meeting.  A further query followed from a Member on the provision of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as the new service was scheduled to start on 1 April 2015.  In response the Head of Corporate Parenting advised that a new provider had been identified and negotiations had started on translating the contract into action.  The Assistant Director Children’s Services Operations added that the change in provider presented a major opportunity to improve the quality of service offered and the provider had expressed enthusiasm in working with the Council.

In response to a query on the appointment of a Clinical Psychologist to support in-house foster carers so that the children’s emotional needs were better met, the meeting noted that the appointee would work 18 hours a week in this role and be based within the Head of Corporate Parenting’s service.  There would be no additional cost.

A Member referred to the comment within Objective 3 of the report that children placed outside the local authority area were less likely to receive good support from the virtual school.  In response the Assistant Director Children’s Services Operations stated that changes had been introduced and the report did not represent the current position.  The Head of Corporate Parenting undertook to amend the Objective to reflect this.

Following further discussion the Assistant Director Children’s Services Operations set out the need to submit a work programme to future Corporate Parenting Panel meetings to ensure reviews of the documents brought before the Panel were carried out as necessary and the Panel’s business was managed in the most effective manner.

NOTED

the content of the plan entitled ‘Our Approach to Corporate Parenting in Central Bedfordshire Council 2014 – 2015’.

RESOLVED

that full and unanimous support be given for the implementation of the plan entitled ‘Our Approach to Corporate Parenting in Central Bedfordshire Council 2014 – 2015’ through the actions set out within the Corporate Parenting Action Plan 2014 – 2017 at Appendix 3 to the Approach plan.