Agenda item

Members considered the Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2022/23. The report provided an overview of the work undertaken by the Board for the year 2022/23. It outlined progress against key Corporate Parenting priorities, as set out in the Council’s Children and Care Leavers’ action plan.

Key points:

• The five key priorities from the Children in Care and Care Leavers Action Plan helped focus and steer work throughout the last year.

• The number of children in care had stayed broadly stable for the past 4 years, though had increased slightly in 2022/23. The growth had been largely due to an increase in the number of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children.

• The Council had secured more proportionate legal orders for some Children and Young People as a direct result of the improved offer around Special Guardianship Orders. This prevented some children from becoming the subject of Interim Care Orders or Care Orders solely for financial reasons.

• There were 20% of children attending Children in Our Care review meetings, but a much larger percentage (over 80%) were having their views heard through written submissions or via advocates.

• The ‘No Limits’ scheme was to be launched to enable Council Members and officers to give their time, make a financial contribution to support children in our care and care leavers or contribute to giving schemes such as the book at Christmas.

• The Council was in the process of opening two new children’s homes to support their work on sufficiency planning. 

• Work had started with the Northeast Fostering on a new approach to recruitment of foster carers and their assessment as part of the Councils’ plans to increase the number of in house foster carers and to extend the Mockingbird model.

• Plans for a new youth space in Stockton Town Centre which would provide a base for Let’s Take Action Group which would play a big role in its design.

Charts

• Regarding the types of placements being occupied in 2022/23, the vast majority - 93% - of Children in Our Care (CIOC) were placed in kinship foster care (25.9%), Independent foster agencies (IFAs) (21.1%), in house fostering (18.3%), with parents (11.4%), then external children’s homes (9.7%) and then independent living (6.6%). The remaining 7% of the cohort were placed in seven different types of placements.

• In terms of the ages of children in our care, most aged 0-5 were placed in house fostering or kinship fostering; most aged 6-10 were placed in kinship foster care or with an independent foster agency (IFA); most aged 11-15 were placed with an IFA or kinship foster care; most aged 16-17 were placed in independent living and, most aged 18+ were placed in independent living.

• 6 in 10 children became looked after due to a S20 (they could not live with their families). An increase of 1 from the previous year and marginally below regional based on the most recent data.

• 3 in 10 children became looked after due to an interim care order (an arrangement to enable the Local Authority to protect a child and enable further assessment). This was in line with the previous year and also with regional based on the most recent data.

• 1 in 20 children were detained on child protection grounds in Local Authority accommodation. This was a smaller proportion than the previous year and below regional on the most recent data.

• 1 in 50 children were the subject of a Full Care Order (an arrangement to enable the Local Authority to protect a child from suffering or from being at risk of significant harm). This was more than was the case in 2021/22 and this proportion was larger than across the Northeast based on most recent data.

• 1 in 100 children had Youth Justice Legal Status and this was the case in 2021/22 and this proportion was the same across the Northeast overall based on most recent data.

Performance summary

In terms of performance, the Council had experienced some notable improvements since year end 2021/22, with evidence of sustained improvement and a notable amount of above regional average performance based on available information.

Discussion

• The Chair welcomed new members and emphasised the importance of being a Corporate Parent.

• The Board supported the Northeast Pathfinder pilot to increase the number of inhouse foster carers and ensure the council is providing the right offer. Members requested an update of the pilot be brought back to a meeting near Christmas time.

• Discussion was held around the establishment of a Care Leavers Board, the purpose of the board and who the most suitable person to Chair the meeting would be.

• Members asked, if the type of care a child grew up in, affected a child’s likelihood in attending university. Officers replied that is not something that had previously been looked into but could possibly looked at in the future.

• An explanation of Virtual School was provided to the board to help their understanding for future meetings. 

RESOLVED that the Annual report be endorsed, and the discussion noted and actioned, as appropriate.