Agenda for Corporate Parenting Board on Monday, 17th May, 2021, 2.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Dining Room - The Council House, Old Market Square, Nottingham, NG1 2DT. View directions

Contact: Mark Leavesley  0115 876 4302

Items
No. Item

1.

Appointment of Vice-Chair

Minutes:

Resolved that Councillor Joannou be appointed Vice-Chair for the municipal year 2021/22.

2.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Councillor Power  -  other Council business

Councillor Jackson  -  unwell

Councillor Joannou  )

Councillor Quddoos  )  personal

Councillor Watson  )

 

Jasmine Howell

Holly Mackenzie

Jon Rea

Sophie Russell

Catherine Underwood

3.

Declarations of Interests

If you need advice on declaring an interest, please contact the Governance Officer above, if possible before the day of the meeting.

Minutes:

None.

4.

Children in Care Placements - Commissioning & Sufficiency Strategy 2021-23 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Report of Corporate Director for People

Minutes:

Helen Watson, Interim Director for Children’s Integrated Services, presented the report, which detailed the Council’s strategic approach 2021-23 to the commissioning of accommodation for children in care (a statutory duty under Section 22G of the Children Act 1989), including the City’s vision and commitment, details of current gaps and opportunities and commissioning plans for the local placement market.

 

During discussion, it was stated that the City is currently discussing with carers what training is available / needed in respect of complex needs children as that is a factor in non-placement, alongside cost and distance.

 

Resolved to note the report.

5.

Regional Adoption Agency: activity 2020-21 pdf icon PDF 334 KB

Report of Adoption East Midlands

Minutes:

Shelagh Mitchell, Group Manager, Adoption East Midlands (AEM), updated the Board on activity undertaken during 2020-21 by the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA).

 

Ms Mitchell stated that:

 

  i.  the RAA provides adoption services on behalf of Derby City, Nottingham City, Derbyshire County and Nottinghamshire County Councils;

 

  ii.  the service has been provided for the last 2 years and had placed 134 (1st year) and 153 (2nd year) children in adoptive families, with a further 261 Court Placement Orders during the period (to the end of February 2021), 23 of which were in Nottingham;

 

  iii.  AEM has supported approximately 600 families post placement, with requests such as support fund applications, direct work with a family, attendance at support groups, children’s events and with services for adults requesting birth information;

 

  iv.  in April 2021, AEM received £324,232 from the Adoption Support Fund (a DfE emergency grant for use during the covid pandemic), which was used for things such as specialist group support, peer group mentoring, annual memberships, E-courses from the Adoption Academy and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention.

 

During discussion, Ms Mitchell stated that due to covid, apart from some children’s groups, most services were still being offered, and that AEM were starting to see some children having issues with interaction having been in lockdown/isolation for so long.

 

Resolved to note the report and record the thanks of the Board for the attendance by Ms Mitchell.

6.

Feedback from themed discussion (Education and Employment) and Children in Care Council update

Engagement and Participation Lead Officer to report

Minutes:

This item was deferred to a future meeting.

7.

Virtual School Peer Review pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Report of Corporate Director for People

Minutes:

This item was deferred to a future meeting.

8.

Care Leavers Annual Report 2020-21 pdf icon PDF 396 KB

Report of Interim Director for Children’s Integrated Services

Minutes:

Alison Wakefield, Service Manager, Children in Care and Leaving Care Service, presented the report, which updated the Board on services provided to young people transitioning from care into adulthood and the work undertaken and progress made by the Leaving Care Service since an Ofsted Inspection in October/November 2018.

 

During discussion, Ms Wakefield stated that:

 

  i.  Nottingham City Council has a duty to provide services to those young people defined as Care Leavers under various statutory guidance;

 

·  The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations;

·  Volume 3, Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers, The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000;

·  The Children and Young Persons Act 2008;

·  The Children and Social Work Act 2017;

 

  ii.  due to the pandemic, employment / apprenticeship opportunities at the council were currently limited.

 

Resolved

 

1)  to note the report and confirm that the Board continued to support and understand the duties required of the Leaving Care Service;

 

2)  to approve the proposals for service redesign of the Leaving Care Service;

 

3)  that as this is her last meeting before leaving the authority, the thanks of the Board to Alison Wakefield for the work done in respect of children in care / leaving care, be recorded.

9.

Children in Care / Leaving Care: Q4 2020/21 performance pdf icon PDF 237 KB

Report of Interim Director for Children’s Integrated Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Tajinder Madahar, Head of Children’s Duty and Targeted Services, presented the report, which detailed key performance information in respect of children in care and care leavers for the period 01 January to 31 March 2021 (4th quarter 2020/21).

 

During discussion, the following additional information was given:

 

 i.  the pandemic has had an impact on placements, mainly in the 10/11-year-old group;

ii.  the council’s children in care target of 88 per 10,000 is historic and the service is currently discussing targets regionally as they are difficult to compare;

iii.  improvements to Pathway Plans are being considered, including more in-depth questions and what the young person takes away from the process;

iv.  whether a child has received a covid jab or not (once the relevant age groups are permitted) will form part of health assessments going forwards.

 

Resolved that the Board notes the report and that:

 

a)  Social Care will continue to work with health partners to ensure routine dental checks resume as pandemic restrictions are eased;

 

b)  the Head of Service will:

 

·  work with Virtual School to ensure any changes to the PEP for non-statutory school age children are strengthened in line with the Peer Review recommendations;

 

·  continue to drive work on increasing the number of children in long-term fostering;

 

·  ensure actions identified from audit activity are embedded to improve practice.

10.

Work Plan 2021-22 pdf icon PDF 135 KB

Report of the Chair

Minutes:

Resolved, subject to inclusion at a future meeting of the deferred items at minutes 6 and 7 above, to note the work plan.

11.

Dates of future meetings

To agree to meet at 2.00pm on the following Mondays:

 

2021    2022

19 July    17 January

20 September   21 March

15 November

Minutes:

Resolved to meet at 2.00pm on the following Mondays, at a venue to be confirmed, during the 2021/22 municipal year:

 

2021  2022

19 July  17 January

20 September  21 March

15 November