Agenda item

For the Select Committee to consider the Placement Sufficiency Strategy which sets out the aims of the department to provide places for children in care.

Contributors:

Cllr Anita Cranmer, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services and Education

Richard Nash, Service Director – Children’s Social Care

Sandra Carnell, Head of Children’s Care Service

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Anita Cranmer, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services and Richard Nash, Service Director - Children’s Social Care to the meeting.  Richard Nash explained that he wanted to provide the Select Committee with an update on the placement sufficiency strategy in light of national challenges around placements.  The following main points were noted:

• The number of children looked after (CLA) in Buckinghamshire had remained relatively stable at around 500 over the past five years although it was important to recognise that children were coming in and out of care all the time
• The report set out a variety of CLA data sets, a number of significant challenges for the service and the priorities for the future in terms of tackling these challenges.

The Chairman invited members’ questions.  In response to questions and during subsequent discussions, the following main points were noted:

-          Changes to the context and demand for placements can be rapid.  –

-          It can take up to 6 to 8 weeks to find an appropriate placement for a young person and during this time the temporary situation is managed as best as possible, while intensive work is undertaken on a case by case basis.

-          It is possible to help children with complex needs by supporting them with stability and supportive relationships.  Some placements which were created when there was no alternative have been very successful. We intend to expand the number of places in children’s homes ensuring the appropriate level of staffing and numbers of beds.

-          Our children’s homes are staffed at the correct level but it is getting harder to recruit all the related professional staff for several national and economic reasons.

-          For younger children we prefer foster carers. There are some foster carers in Buckinghamshire that are fostering children who come from outside the area. Trying to attract foster carers is very important and various methods are used to do so including social media, all staff briefings. You would need a spare bedroom to become a foster carer. Some potential foster carers commence their training but then their personal circumstances change and their training is not completed.  The Council is proactive in recruiting and ensuring that foster carers have the full training and that they are supported strongly. The council is aware of the concept of “It takes a village to raise a child”.

-          Foster carers receive an allowance but a discussion about level of incentives to encourage foster carers is ongoing.

-          There is a fostering recruitment team which works in conjunction with the communications team to produce appropriate recruitment information.

-          The council is very aware of the greater national recognition of the placement crisis and our placement team works full time to analyse all options available nationally and even then it is often not possible to find appropriate solutions. A government paper has realised that there needs to be some grouping to tackle the issue on a locality basis but it is difficult to say when this will bring results. Our team working on the issue of semi-independent placements with the aim of expanding capacity. However demand outstrips this work.

-          We are mandated to take unaccompanied asylum seekers under the age of 18 which adds pressure to the system.

-          Conversations have been held cross-border on creating more children’s homes but results are likely to be 12 months plus ahead. In the meantime staff are supported to do this difficult work.

-          Richard Nash and Sandra Carnell are the contact points for any private providers wishing to set up a children’s home in the area. There are both planning and Ofsted compliances to be met but it is unusual for private providers to contact us.

-          There are lower percentage differences between genders in the younger age groups. UASC changes the dynamics between genders in the older age groups – as most of these are male. Most UASC are not cared for in foster care but more likely in semi-independent accommodation so affect the numbers of those in foster care indirectly.

-          We have recruited staff to work evenings and weekends to support children directly in care and deal with crises as they emerge.

-          Most UAS children are distributed to us via the National Transfer Scheme. We ascertain if a young person wishes to reside in Buckinghamshire and if not then we suggest that they should be placed elsewhere. We aim to understand their individual needs and identity in doing so. The proximity of London to Buckinghamshire causes some issues to us.

-          Unregistered provision relates to children under the age of 16 who we have been unable to place in registered provision. The Service Director of Children’s Social Care monitors these placements on a weekly basis. Our priority is to ensure their safety. In terms of continuity, children are with us only as long as they need to be. For those under the age of 10 we are seeking permanent placements. Some children are with the same foster carers for several years and for some this goes beyond the age of 18.

-          There are currently around 120 foster carer placements in Buckinghamshire.

-          Placement change is the metric we use to monitor the number of placements and placement stability. A request for the committee to see the placement change data.

-          ACTION: Richard Nash

-          There have been examples supply and demand issues which have impacted on the placement of our children with private providers. The shortage of places results in the costs of available placements being pushed upwards.

-          If a care leaver has been in care with us for over 12 weeks prior to age 16 then we have a legal responsibility to look at provision over the age of 18. If they have a mental health need then we speak to the appropriate services to support them. All our care leavers have a personal care plan. The corporate parenting panel has a sub-group which looks at housing and tenancies for care leavers, however supply and demand issues has impacts into housing provision.

-          Post the age of 18 the service also monitors ongoing evidence of good relationships between care leavers and the authority where there is eligibility for a service. The authority aims to support the post 18s as effectively as possible and ensure that the work of the personal advisers to each care leavers is of appropriate quality.