Agenda item

Councillor David Mellen, Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years introduced the report on the OFSTED pilot inspection of Children’s Services – follow up focus on support for care leavers. Helen Blackman, Director of Integrated Children’s Services and Steve Comb, Head of Children in Care provided additional information. They highlighted the following information:

(a)  There are currently 219 young adults open to the Leaving Care Team. The team continue to work with care leavers into their 20’s and until they leave full time education;

(b)  The Council’s duty to provide accommodation for looked after children ends when they turn 18 and become care leavers, unless they are in full time education then Council has a duty to provide assistance with education fees and living costs;

(c)  In January 2017 Nottingham City Council’s Children’s Services were inspected by OFSTED using the new pilot scheme of inspection. As reported to this Committee previously the OFSTED report offered mainly positive comments.

(d)  At the time of the inspection there were 70% of care leavers in full time education, employment and training, 14 care leavers at university and 7 were employed as apprentices at Nottingham City Council, 85% were in appropriate housing;

(e)  OFSTED identified a small group of around 15 individuals who were hard to engage and challenged the Council to be more tenacious in its attempts at keeping in touch with these care leavers;

(f)  The Leaving Care Team is now in touch with around 50% of those hard to engage care leavers;

(g)  There are a number of difficulties in engaging all care leavers. They are adults and it is not possible to compel them to stay in touch if they do not want to. Some people want to forget that they were in care and refuse to acknowledge attempts at contact, and some move away and don’t inform the Council;

(h)  Nottingham City Council’s in-house employability scheme for care leavers started in 2015 and achieved its aim of employing at least 10% of care leavers within the City Council. A dedicated employment worker placed within the Leaving Care Team offers support to the most disengaged care leavers and the work has been recognised by the Department of Work and Pensions;

(i)  OFSTED found that the majority of care leavers were in suitable accommodation. However a small number, 25, were found to be in accommodation deemed unsuitable. This unsuitable accommodation included returning to the family home and custody;

(j)  An independent review took place of the leaving care services and an action plan put in place to more tenaciously pursue contact with care leavers. This has led to the development of a keeping in touch protocol and strengthened links with external agencies;

(k)  In 2016 the Government announced the Keep on Caring strategy.  This will allow all care leavers up to the age of 25 to go back to their leaving care team to ask for help and support. This could place additional demand on the service, more will be known in April 2018 when guidance is issued;

Following questions from the Committee the following points were made:

(l)  Once a child in care turns 18 they become an adult, and a care leaver and as such they do not have to inform the Council where they are living, who they are living with, whether they are moving away etc. At this point the Council cannot tell the care leaver where they should live, or who they should live with;

(m)  In 2014 Children’s Integrated Services was inspected by OFSTED and found to require improvements. After a sustained work programme OFSTED now rate the service as good;

(n)  The level of staffing within the Leaving Care Team is comparable to other teams in comparable authorities;

(o)  The Government has introduced a staying put option for care leavers, where the young person stays with the foster family. The young person has continuity in care, and stability and the foster family is paid a “staying put” grant. This does however mean that the City Council loses a foster family placement;

(p)  Changes in data protection are introducing the right to be forgotten. It will require a balance between being tenacious in keeping contact with care leavers and respecting their right to be forgotten and not wishing to have further contact with the Council;

(q)  At present it is between 2 and 3% of care leavers that the Leaving Care Team are not in touch with in any way.

RESOLVED to thank Councillor David Mellen, Helen Blackman and Steve Comb for their attendance and to note the content of their report.