Corporate Parenting Strategy

Transcription

1 Corporate Parenting Strategy

2 Table of contents INTRODUCTION 2 OUR PLEDGE TO CHILDREN IN CARE 3 WHY DO WE NEED A CORPORATE PARENTING STRATEGY? 5 STRATEGIC CONTEXT 6 HOW THE STRATEGY WAS DEVELOPED 7 HOW THE STRATEGY WILL BE DELIVERED, MONITORED AND EVALUATED 8 MAKING IT HAPPEN: ACTION PLAN APPENDIX: KEY POINTS FROM THE NEEDS ANALYSIS, CONSULTATION AND RESEARCH 23 1

3 Introduction I am really pleased to endorse the Corporate Parenting Strategy as a statement of our intention to deliver the best possible outcomes for children who are in the care of the City Council. It is important that the pledges set out in this document have been developed in consultation with looked after children, their carers and colleagues from a range of services. The responsibilities of local authorities to act as a corporate parent require the full engagement of all members of the City Council, as well as members of staff. We are keen that looked after children have the same kind of life chances that we would wish for our own children. Whilst Aneurin Bevan Health Board does not have the statutory responsibility of a corporate parent, I am delighted that our colleagues in the NHS have agreed to share responsibility for ensuring that children in care achieve the best possible health outcomes. We have high aspirations for children in our care and we will consistently listen to their wishes and feelings and work with them to achieve our goals and their hopes for themselves. Matthew Evans Leader of the Council 2

4 Our Pledge to Children in Care This is our pledge as corporate parents. We make this pledge to every child in our care, regardless of age, ability, background or whether placed in or outside our City. HOME: To provide looked after children with good quality, stable placements where they feel safe, valued and cared for by excellent carers. Develop and support carers so that they encourage looked after children to fulfil their potential. Help looked after children to understand their life story, their identity and how they fit into the community and their own culture. Help looked after children to understand why they are where they are and what future plans are in place. Where it is safe and possible to do so, strive to keep looked after children within their local area and in touch with the people who are important to them. Make every effort to avoid unnecessary changes of placements. Involve looked after children in decisions affecting them, listen to them and their wishes and assist them in making their voice heard. EDUCATION: To ensure that looked after children achieve the best possible educational outcomes. Provide support to looked after children that meets their needs and enables them to achieve in line with their peers and personal educational targets. Ensure that looked after children do not miss out on their educational opportunities. Strengthen joint working and understanding between social workers, schools, colleges and other professionals in order to facilitate the sharing of information and best practice and to plan service delivery. Ensure that carers are equipped to support their children in learning. Enable looked after children to have a voice in educational planning at the individual and the strategic level. HEALTH: To improve the health outcomes of looked after children and to provide them with appropriate health care and advice. Identify and improve the health of looked after children by providing annual (biannual for under 5 s) holistic health checks and opportunities for looked after children to discuss their overall health issues and concerns. Support foster carer training to keep carers updated and develop coping strategies to enable them to work confidently with their foster child. Support foster carers where necessary to help them to better understand the health needs of their foster children. Improve the physical well being of looked after children Improve the emotional and mental health of looked after children Promote a healthy lifestyle for looked after children and their carers Improve the analysis of annual health assessments to enable strategic assessment of health needs of looked after children. 3

5 LEISURE: To support and encourage looked after children to enjoy a wide experience of leisure, cultural, sport and social activity to enable them to fulfil their potential. Encourage looked after children to access a variety of leisure opportunities and work to remove obstacles that prevent them from taking part. Provide information to looked after children and their carers in a range of appropriate media so that they know what opportunities are available and how to access them. Encourage looked after children to make a positive contribution to their local community. Ask looked after children about what leisure opportunities they would like to take part in, to enable them to influence the way that services are delivered. LEAVING CARE: To support looked after children and care leavers to prepare for the future and make positive choices for independent living, in order to become successful, fulfilled members of society. Provide safe and appropriate accommodation to young people who leave care and sufficient support that enables them to move gradually into independent living. Enable care leavers to access education and employment opportunities and to make a contribution to society. Strengthen collaborative working and information sharing between services to provide all-round support to care leavers. Listen to the wishes of care leavers, ensuring that they understand the decisions being made and can have an influence on service planning. Support care leavers to develop independent living skills from as early an age as possible, including both practical skills and understanding of appropriate boundaries and the responsibilities and expectations of adulthood. This pledge will be monitored through the Corporate Parenting Members Forum and the Children in Care Council. 4

6 Why do we need a Corporate Parenting Strategy? For members, employees and partners of the City Council, there can be no more important role than looking after the children and young people in our care. We believe that children are best brought up within their families. However, where this is not possible, we as corporate parents aim to ensure that children in care achieve the best possible outcomes and life chances. This Corporate Parenting Strategy is our collective commitment to our looked after children and young people. It sets out the high standards we aim to achieve as corporate parents and the actions we will take to do this. This is our joint strategy shared between all key partners, including children and young people, without whom we will not achieve our aims. Together we will ensure that looked after children are safe, well cared for, encouraged and supported so that they can achieve their full potential in life. 5

7 Strategic context This strategy sits within a wider local and national policy context. It draws on the national guidance and good practice outlined in the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) publication: If this were my child A councillor s guide to being a good corporate parent to children in care and care leavers. The strategy is rooted in the ethos of this guidance, which emphasises that we should be striving for the same outcomes and aspirations that we would plan for our own children. Locally, the strategy supports the aims of the Community Strategy , the Corporate Plan and the Annual Plan. In particular, this strategy takes its lead from the Young People s Plan , Young Newport, and the seven core aims which it sets out for every child and young person: Core aim 1: A flying start in life Core aim 2: A range of educational and learning opportunities Core aim 3: The best possible health Core aim 4: Play, sport, leisure and cultural activities Core aim 5: Listened to and treated with respect Core aim 6: Safe homes and communities Core aim 7: Not disadvantaged by poverty This strategy seeks to achieve these aims for all looked after children. It builds on the results-based, multi-agency approach of the Young People s Partnership and will be delivered within this partnership framework. Finally, this strategy forms part of the wider transformation within Family s. The vision for the service is to develop a continuum of integrated family support services to children in need and their families that protects children from harm and promotes family well being. For looked after children, it aims to provide the same life chances that we would want for our own children. The development of the strategy will help us to achieve this. 6

8 How the strategy was developed This Corporate Parenting Strategy has been developed following a detailed needs analysis of looked after children and vulnerable families in our community. The strategy draws on extensive consultation with stakeholders including foster carers, councillors, front line workers, managers and over 75 children in care and care leavers. It is also supported by a thorough review of the latest academic research, national and local policy and current best practice. Its development has been led by a multi-agency partnership board including representatives from social services, youth offending, education, continuing learning and leisure, community development, the partnerships team, the commissioning and contracts team, the South East Wales Collaborative (SEWIC), the NHS, the Fostering Network and an independent foster care provider. 7

9 How the strategy will be delivered, monitored and evaluated The aims of the strategy will be delivered through the action plan. A lead has been identified for each outcome area: they will be responsible for implementing their part of the action plan and for reporting on progress to the Corporate Parenting Members Forum. The Corporate Parenting Members Forum will be established to monitor and evaluate progress against the action plan and to ensure continued engagement and ownership at the political level. In addition, a Children in Care Council, led by children and young people in care and care leavers, will hold us to account as corporate parents. The strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis and evaluated at the end of the three year period. 8

10 Making it happen: Action Plan HOME 1. TO PROVIDE LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN WITH GOOD QUALITY, STABLE PLACEMENTS WHERE THEY FEEL SAFE, VALUED AND CARED FOR BY EXCELLENT CARERS No. Pledge Performance measures 1.1 Develop and support Delivery and carers so that they attendance of encourage looked foster carer after children to fulfil training their potential. LAC reviews data 1.2 Help looked after children to understand their life story, their identity and how they fit into the community and their own culture. Life story work completion data How will we achieve it? Fostering review a critical evaluation of provision to provide a basis for service improvement. To include review of foster carer support package, training and development and of the structure and processes of the fostering team. Improve communication between carers and social workers, for example following contact or therapy sessions. Improve placement matching to ensure that children s needs are met, especially when placed outside Newport. Social workers to start life story work as soon as a child enters care and to continue this throughout the child s care career. Responsible manager, resources manager, LAC teams Placements manager, LAC teams How will we fund it? Corporate spend to save funding. resources. resources. resources. Timescale Completed by end of Completed by end of 9

11 No. Pledge Performance measures 1.3 Help looked after Attendance of children to child and/or understand why they advocate at are where they are LAC reviews and what future plans are in place. 1.4 Where it is safe and possible to do so, strive to keep looked after children within their local area and in touch with the people who are important to them. Number placed outside authority Evidence from complaints and compliments How will we achieve it? Management and quality assurance to promote good social work practice in relation to involving looked after children. Training for foster carers to help them to understand the timescales and processes involved in care proceedings. LAC reviews to include review of how well a child understands the plans that are in place. Improve processes around decision-making and placement matching. Reduce the number of out of authority placements and bring children back to Newport where possible through the implementation of the commissioning strategy. Fostering review to increase the capability of in-house provision. Scrutiny and challenge of out of authority placements through forums such as OSF, Brighter Futures panel and Complex Needs panel. Improve the way we manage contact time through the development of the new contact centre. Responsible manager, LAC teams manager, Resources Independent Reviewing Officers Performance Management Practice Development Programme Manager Contracts and commissioning team manager, Resources manager, Resources Manager, Family Support How will we fund it? resources. Corporate spend to save funding. resources. Programme resources resources. Corporate spend to save funding. Corporate and Family resources. resources. Timescale 10

12 No. Pledge Performance measures 1.5 Make every effort to Number of provide stable placement placements, breakdowns promoting options for permanence where Number appropriate. children in care 1.6 Involve looked after children in decisions affecting them, listen to them and their wishes and assist them in making their voice heard. Attendance at LAC reviews Children in Care Annual Report How will we achieve it? Improve processes and current support packages in order to promote stable placements and avoid disruption, e.g. disruption policy. Review care planning and placement matching processes Development of a Children in Care Council Participation project carried out by Independent Reviewing Officers aiming to engage young people more effectively in the statutory review process Strengthen advocacy support, ensuring that looked after children are aware of this provision and are able to access it. Development of a participation and consultation strategy. Responsible manager, Resources Performance Management and Practice Development Programme Manager Independent advocacy Independent Reviewing Officers manager, LAC teams Children s Rights and Participation Officer How will we fund it? resources. Programme resources Corporate Parenting budget resources. resources. Partnership resources Timescale Year 3 11

13 EDUCATION 2. TO ENSURE THAT LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES No. Pledge Performance measures 2.1 Provide support to LAC looked after children attainment that meets their data needs and enables them to achieve in Whether line with their peers Personal and personal Education educational targets Plan targets are met How will we achieve it? All schools designate a lead teacher for LAC issues and adopt a clear policy to reflect this. Actively but discreetly identify LAC and monitor attainment, especially for those outside Newport Have available appropriate support for LAC and their families, especially for those placed outside Newport. Target support to LAC at transition points into secondary and further education. Maintain vigilance of known affected LAC with the provision of additional pastoral support. Responsible Principal School Advisor LAC education co-ordinator Principal School Advisor Principal School Advisor Principal School Advisor How will we fund it? Individual schools budgets Joint funding School and Children and Family s RAISE grant SEG LAC grant Joint funding School and Children and Family s School resources School resources Timescale Promote the letter box scheme and develop other schemes. LAC education co-ordinator 12

14 No. Pledge Performance measures 2.2 Ensure that looked LAC after children do not attendance miss out on their and educational exclusions opportunities. data How will we achieve it? Actively but discreetly monitor attendance and exclusions of LAC including those outside Newport. Provide targeted action to promote good behaviour and attendance for LAC who are difficult to engage. Responsible LAC education co-ordinator Senior Education Welfare Officer How will we fund it? Joint funding School and Children and Families School funding Timescale Train EWOs in supporting LAC and their families. Social services and schools to work together to facilitate transfer to new school placements to minimise delay. Senior Education Welfare Officer Principal School Advisor School funding Joint funding School and Children and Families 2.3 Strengthen joint working and understanding between social workers, schools, colleges and other professionals in order to facilitate the sharing of information and to plan service delivery Attendance of professionals at LAC reviews Develop mutual understanding of the roles played by education, schools and social services, including understanding of the support available to LAC, e,g through information packs and training sessions. Social services to help train and support school staff to gain a broader understanding of the impact and stress on a child s life when a young person is looked after. Develop joint working an information sharing protocols (including in relation to risk assessments) between schools and social services. Principal School Advisor Principal School Advisor Principal School Advisor Joint funding School and Children and Families Joint funding School and Children and Families Joint funding School and Children and Families 13

15 No. Pledge Performance measures 2.4 Ensure that carers Carer are equipped to attendance at support their children and in learning evaluation of training 2.5 Enable looked after children to have a voice in educational planning at the individual and the strategic level Attendance of young people at PEP meetings How will we achieve it? Review of foster carer training and development of joint social services/education training for carers on supporting LAC educational attainment and basic skills. Support foster carers to take part in school events including parents evenings. Development of a Children in Care Council Encourage the attendance and active participation of young people in their PEP meetings Responsible manager, Resources manager, Resources Independent Advocacy Officer manager, LAC teams How will we fund it? Corporate spend to save funding Corporate spend to save funding Corporate Parenting budget budget Timescale 14

16 HEALTH 3. TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH APPROPRIATE HEALTH CARE AND ADVICE. No. Pledge Performance measures 3.1 To identify and Number of improve the health of looked after looked after children children with by providing annual completed (bi-annual for under annual/biannual 5s) holistic health checks and assessment opportunities for looked after children to discuss their overall health issues and concerns 3.2 To support foster carer training to keep carers updated and enable the carer to develop coping strategies to work confidently with the child or young person 3.3 To support foster carers where necessary to help them to better understand the health needs of looked after children Carer attendance at and evaluation of training Data from the LAC annual health assessments How will we achieve it? Designated Clinical Nurse Specialist specifically for looked after children and care leavers. Completion of annual (or bi-annual) health checks to identify holistic health needs and facilitate appropriate and timely interventions to address any health needs, recording these within the Health Action Plan/Pathway plans. Provide an enhanced service which includes counselling, early pregnancy testing service and condom distribution. Development of protocol for accessing essential health services Clinical Nurse Specialist to contribute to and advise on programmes of foster carer training. Ensuring that the Social Care Placement Plan is completed in full in order to inform the foster carer of the health needs of the looked after child. Clinical Nurse Specialist to discuss needs with foster carer where appropriate. Responsible Named Nurse Child Protection Clinical Nurse Specialist Clinical Nurse Specialist Clinical Nurse Specialist manager, Resources manager, Resources Clinical Nurse Specialist How will we fund it? ABHB core funds ABHB core funds ABHB core funds Corporate spend to save funding ABHB core funds Timescale 15

17 No. Pledge Performance measures 3.4 To improve the Completed physical wellbeing of Immunisation looked after children /development al programmes Data from the LAC annual health assessments How will we achieve it? Identify current and outstanding health needs of LAC and arrange appropriate health appointments. Training for carers to improve their nutritional awareness so that they are to educate their children and provide nutritionally balanced meals in the home. Raise awareness among social workers of the many health promotion projects and training available in Newport, through the use of a directory of service available to all children s teams. Responsible Clinical Nurse Specialist Public Health Wales / ABHB Community Nutrition Education Programme Public Health Wales / Going for Gold How will we fund it? ABHB resources Grant funded project until end of March 2012, nominal cost to social services ABHB and Public Health Wales resources Timescale 3.5 To improve the emotional and mental health of looked after children Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire data Provide an enhanced health LAC service which includes counselling. Where necessary liaise with other health professionals to facilitate and support onward referral to core health services (including Child and Family Psychological service). Pilot project using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess the emotional needs of Looked After Children. Clinical Nurse Specialist / LAC clinical psychologist Clinical Nurse Specialist ABHB to work with LA to identify resources necessary for enhanced service ABHB funds Train and develop carers in understanding and supporting the emotional and mental health needs of looked after children. manager, Resources Corporate spend to save funding 16

18 No. Pledge Performance measures 3.6 Promote a healthy Number of lifestyle for looked events and after children and programmes their carers delivered. Number of children and carers attending. How will we achieve it? Looking after yourself programmes. Healthy U day. Responsible Clinical Nurse Specialist Manager, C&F Resources How will we fund it? Family resources Timescale 3.7 To improve the analysis of annual health assessments to enable strategic assessment of health needs of looked after children Data from LAC annual health assessments LA to identify information needed and not already being shared with the social worker to enable better strategic planning. Social workers to share centrally within NCC the results of the Health Action Plan. NCC Social s to establish a recording mechanism to enable analysis of the health needs manager, LAC teams manager, LAC teams manager, LAC teams 17

19 LEISURE 4. TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN AND CARE LEAVERS TO ENJOY A WIDE EXPERIENCE OF LEISURE, CULTURAL, SPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY TO ENABLE THEM TO FULFIL THEIR POTENTIAL No. Pledge Performance measures 4.1 Encourage looked Leisure and after children and libraries care leavers to participation access a variety of data leisure opportunities and work to remove obstacles that prevent them from taking part How will we achieve it? Train and support foster carers to encourage their looked after children to participate in leisure opportunities. Targeted work with looked after children, care leavers and carers to promote activities Organise introduction sessions for looked after children, care leavers and carers to give them the opportunity to try out different activities. Promote existing Continuing Learning and Leisure programmes in response to the needs and interests of looked after children and care leavers. Responsible manager, C&F resources Active Communities Manager Kerry Griffiths Active Communities Manager Kerry Griffiths Marketing team How will we fund it? Corporate spend to save funding Continuing Learning and Leisure / Continuing Learning and Leisure / Marketing budget Timescale Leisure cards, library cards and induction packs for all looked after children and care leavers targeted at different age groups. Marketing Team Continuing Learning and Leisure Develop information-sharing processes between Continuing Learning and Leisure and social services. Development and Resources manager (CLL) Continuing Learning and Leisure / 18

20 No. Pledge Performance measures 4.2 Provide information Leisure and to looked after libraries children, care leavers participation and carers in a range data of appropriate media so that they know what opportunities are available and how to access them. 4.3 Encourage looked after children and care leavers to make a positive contribution to their local community. 4.4 Ask looked after children and care leavers about what leisure opportunities they would like to take part in, to enable them to influence the way that services are delivered. Participation in individual schemes (eg How will we achieve it? Targeted marketing to looked after children, care leavers and carers Foster carers sharing information in local communities Volunteering /citizenship programmes Responsible Marketing team manager, C&F resources Youth and Community Manager DofE) Development of mentoring schemes Aftercare manager Number of children consulted Development of a Children in Care Council Sharing relevant local consultation between council departments Independent Advocacy Officer CYPP Core Aim Group 5 How will we fund it? Marketing budget Continuing Learning and Leisure Corporate Parenting budget Partnership Timescale 19

21 LEAVING CARE 5. TO SUPPORT LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN AND CARE LEAVERS TO PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE AND MAKE POSITIVE CHOICES FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING IN ORDER TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL FULFILLED MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. No. Pledge Performance measures 5.1 Provide safe and % former appropriate looked after accommodation to children in young people who suitable, nonemergency leave care and sufficient support that accommodati enables them to move gradually into independent living 5.2 Enable care leavers to access education and employment opportunities and to make a contribution to society How will we achieve it? Accommodation pathway including options such as shared living, training flats and supported accommodation. Supported housing gateway including specific support for target groups e.g. youth offenders, young people Responsible Housing Needs Manager Housing Needs Manager with disabilities on at age 19 Review the financial support provided to care leavers manager, Aftercare % former looked after children in education, employment or training at age 19 Promote university to school age children through the Letterbox scheme Develop a protocol with Careers Wales Strengthening links with local universities especially the University of Wales, Newport for example helping them to develop care leavers policies Develop a corporately sponsored apprenticeship scheme including opportunities within the council and with local businesses Develop work experience opportunities for young people leaving care Develop a mentoring scheme for care leavers LAC education co-ordinator Aftercare team manager Aftercare team manager Aftercare team manager Aftercare team manager Aftercare team manager How will we fund it? Housing / Housing / Family Corporate funding and partner agencies and partner agencies Timescale Year 3 20

22 No. Pledge Performance measures 5.3 Strengthen Attendance of collaborative working professionals and information at Pathway sharing between Planning. services to provide all-round support to Processes, care leavers protocols and documents developed. 5.4 Listen to the wishes of care leavers ensuring that they understand the decisions being made and can have an influence on service planning How will we achieve it? Develop a protocol between Family s and Housing Common housing register to provide a single point of entry to social housing Develop a formal framework for information sharing between agencies including health Aftercare to move to a 16+ team to improve in transition planning Develop information packs targeted at different age groups to enable care leavers to understand the support available and explain some of the jargon and systems used. Participation project carried out by Independent Reviewing Officers aiming to engage young people more effectively in the statutory pathway planning and review process Development of a Children in Care Council, to include care leavers Care leavers conference Responsible Aftercare team manager / Housing Needs manager Housing Needs manager manager, Aftercare Performance Management Practice Development Programme Manager Aftercare team manager Independent Reviewing Officers Independent Advocacy Officer Aftercare team manager How will we fund it? Housing / Housing Programme resources Corporate Parenting budget Timescale Year 3 Year 3 21

23 No. Pledge Performance measures 5.5 Support care leavers Number of to develop events independent living organised. skills from as early an age as possible, Number of including both young people practical skills and and/or carers understanding of attending. appropriate boundaries and the responsibilities and expectations of adulthood. How will we achieve it? Train and encourage carers to help looked after children develop independent living skills. Develop opportunities for care leavers to speak to children in care about their experiences. Utilise the resources of partner agencies to provide skills training for young people e.g. pre-tenancy work Responsible manager, Resources manager, Aftercare Housing Needs manager How will we fund it? Corporate spend to save funding Partner agencies Timescale 22

24 Appendix: Key points from the needs analysis, consultation and research Outcome area 1: Home What are we doing well? Most young people are happy in their current placements, reporting that they are looked after by people who care about them, are located near friends and family and do lots of fun activities. Many young people say that they feel safe as they have someone to talk to. All stakeholders recognise the central role played by carers. All agree that a child should be placed locally, with close contact with their family and those who are important to them, wherever it is safe and possible to do so. All recognise the need to involve looked after children in plans and decisions affecting them, to help them understand their life story and to listen to their views. Where do we need to improve? Young people asked for more and longer contact with their families; young people and foster carers felt contact time could be better organised and that they should be more involved in doing this. Some young people do not see the need for social work support and want to be with their family. Many young people feel that they do not see enough of their social worker and can find it difficult to get hold of them. Looked after children and foster carers sometimes do not know what long term plans are in place. Foster carers are not always given all the information they need to fully support their child. Some looked after children experience a lot of placement moves. Involvement of looked after children in planning and decision-making could be improved, e.g. LAC reviews could be made more accessible to young people so that it feels like their meeting. What are the opportunities? All stakeholders felt that maintaining links with the birth family was very important; many current initiatives within aim to foster this preventative/rehabilitative approach. Young people provided lots of suggestions about how things could be improved e.g. meet a new foster carer before moving in, spend more time with their social worker, improvements to the Looked After Child review process. Foster carers want to be better informed and equipped to support their children, e.g. training to understand the legal processes involved in care proceedings. If the placement is right, this has a positive effect on all other aspects of the young person s life: education, health, leisure and transition to adulthood. There are a number of current pieces of work to improve placements and care management e.g. in-house fostering review, outcome-focused care planning. Members want to be more involved in scrutinising the quality of placements and care planning processes, especially for out of authority placements. The new Brynglas Bungalow unit provides in-house support for children with more complex needs. 23

25 What are the challenges? There are a number of common, often structural difficulties faced by all local authorities and cannot be easily or quickly fixed, e.g. contact with family and friends for all LAC, knowing the long term plan, being able to contact social workers and spend time with them as much as needed. face stringent budget constraints in the medium term. There is a trend of more complex cases; in-house provision cannot always meet this need and there is an increasing reliance on costly, often disruptive out of authority placements. Outcome area 2: Education What are we doing well? Young people spoke positively about their school experiences, seeing it as a place where they could make friends, enjoy different activities and have fun. Teachers and school staff were recognised as playing a crucial role in supporting looked after children to fulfil their potential; this includes an important pastoral role. Schools can provide great continuity and stability in the lives of looked after children, a place where they feel safe with people they know and trust. Education was seen as key to achieving personal fulfilment and a successful career. Carers were recognised as playing an important role in supporting their looked after child s education. There was strong agreement across all those consulted that schools should support looked after children where needed but above all take an inclusive approach. Stakeholders also agree that as Corporate Parent we should have high expectations for looked after children and care leavers, listen to them and involve them in decisions affecting them. Some foster carers reported that they have an excellent relationship with their looked after child s school and that the school communicates well with them through regular letters and phone calls. LAC attendance in Newport has improved - the number of school days missed by looked after children in 09/10 was significantly less than in 06/07. Some of our LAC have achieved great academic success. We celebrate achievements annually at the LAC Awards. Where do we need to improve? Comparative analysis shows that both the looked after population in Newport (including non-newport LAC) and Newport LAC placed outside of the authority do comparatively worse than other children in Newport and also worse than LAC in other comparable local authorities. For children placed in Newport, performance becomes progressively worse through Key Stages 2 and 3. Some looked after children experience great instability in their placements which can have a detrimental effect on their education, especially if a placement move necessitates a change of school. Placement moves can be poorly timed, eg six weeks before an exam. Some looked after children and care leavers have missed out on significant periods of education, before coming into care or while waiting for a suitable education placement while in care. Meetings involving looked after children and care leavers could be improved: young people report that they are not always happy with the timing and location, for example some reported that it is embarrassing when they are held in school. 24

26 Foster carers, young people and school staff report that there can be delays and difficulties in accessing support, including securing funding or permission e.g. school trips. Some care leavers are struggling with no employment and no/few qualifications. Carers are not always fully equipped to support their looked after children in their education. School staff are not always fully equipped to support looked after children. Plans and assessments are not always up to date and implemented; there can be a lack of clarity about long term plans for a child. Young people placed out of authority are particularly at risk of not having their educational needs met. Cross-agency working and information sharing, especially between schools and social services, can be very poor. Schools do not always receive the information they need and are not always involved in key decisions. Risk assessments are a particular issue. Schools are not always informed of risks and trying to manage risks can make it difficult to find a suitable education placement for a young person. What are the opportunities? Young people would like more measures to ease transition between schools, e.g. visiting their new school prior to the move. Young people would like to be more involved in both individual and service planning. Further developing the relationship between schools and foster carers would be beneficial. Some governors would like to be more involved in LAC issues. Education/school staff and social service staff could work more closely in organising training, both for each other and for carers this would help build mutual understanding of their roles and shared aims. There are some moves towards closer worker between education and social services, e.g. Brighter Futures panel, Complex Needs panel and Pupil Placement panel; senior managers meet regularly; LAC education co-ordinators meet termly with LAC designated teachers in schools. LAC education co-ordinators located in social services, enabling strong links between social services and education. What are the challenges? The new SEG LAC Grant has replaced the RAISE grant but we are still awaiting the criteria for spend from WAG. Improving joint working between schools, education and social services is a slow process with a number of structural issues to address, e.g. difficulties with information sharing and the management of risk. Outcome area 3: Health What are we doing well? Regular and holistic health assessments are undertaken by a dedicated Looked After Children Health Team consisting of the Clinical Nurse Specialist, LAC Nurse specialist and Admin Support. Most looked after children report that they are generally healthy. Looked after children recognise the importance of healthy eating, regular exercise and good mental health. Looked after children are interested in a wide range of positive activities. 25

27 Foster carers are recognised by all as playing an important part in all aspects of health, especially practical and emotional support. Foster carers themselves accept this role. The Clinical Nurse Specialist has built up good relationships with Social s staff, Health colleagues, voluntary agencies, carers, children and young people. Where do we need to improve? There is a tendency among looked after children to see health as simply healthy eating and exercise. Some looked after children felt that their foster carers had a negative impact on their emotional wellbeing There is a need to keep looked after children in stable placements to support their general health and wellbeing Some looked after children had difficulty accessing a GP in their local area. Some looked after children asked for more choice in their annual assessments, about whether or not to have them and about who does them e.g. option of a male health professional. Key areas of need are: emotional wellbeing/mental health, smoking, drugs, alcohol, obesity/healthy weight, sexual health, children in residential units. Foster carers do not always receive full and timely information about their children s medical needs and the support available. Outcome data specifically highlighting looked after children is not collected and analysed at a strategic level. What are the opportunities? Care leavers would welcome more information about healthy eating and emotional wellbeing Foster carers would welcome more training and information to better understand and meet children s needs, including information about healthy eating and lifestyle. Foster carers could support each other, e.g. mentor each other through difficult situations. The in-house fostering review presents a timely opportunity to strengthen and reiterate the crucial role that foster carers play. There is a willingness among all stakeholders to promote healthy lifestyles (not just tackle illness) and to empower young people to make positive choices themselves. The annual health assessments could provide a rich source of data. Lots of existing programmes could be of use to LAC and foster carers if links were made, e.g. Going for Gold, nutrition and healthy eating training, anti-smoking groups, the C Card scheme. Peer mentoring networks for LAC and foster carers have been beneficial in other local authorities. What are the challenges? Some carers and young people have told us that lack of money and transport can be a barrier to accessing health support, healthy food and healthy activities. It is difficult to engage foster carers in existing training. Those that do attend tend to be individuals who already engage, rather than the harder to reach carers who may have a greater need for training. There is no current capacity to collate and analyse data from the annual health assessments. WAG currently do not require any agency to collect health outcome data for LAC. National research suggests that health care plans are not fully implemented because there is a systemic lack of accountability for ensuring that this happens. 26

28 Outcome area 4: Leisure What are we doing well? Looked after children and care leavers enjoy a wide range of activities in their leisure time. They are particularly sporty, but also enjoy the arts, culture, play, going out in the city and countryside and spending time with friends and family. The way that looked after children spend their time seems fairly typical compared to the population as a whole and they do not seem to be particularly vulnerable to being socially excluded - so the current population-wide approach to reaching them may be appropriate. All stakeholders recognise the importance of personal development/growth, building relationships with others, having fun and learning new things in leisure time. Many young people use their leisure time in this way. Many young people speak positively about living in Newport. Where do we need to improve? Only a minority of young people report that they enjoy the arts and cultural activity. Although a wide array of activities was mentioned, most young people are involved in a fairly narrow range of activities: swimming, parks and sports typically played in PE lessons. Transport is a barrier for some, especially care leavers and children with disabilities. All young people felt that Newport needs more attractions and things to do, especially for teenagers. Foster carers report that it can be difficult and time-consuming trying to gain permission for activities, sometimes leading to young people missing out on opportunities. Foster carers do not always know what is available in their local area. Young people do not always know what support and activities are available. Data about how often LAC access e.g. leisure centres is not collected. Instability in placements may make it difficult to continue with hobbies and maintain important social networks. Feedback is not routinely collected from young people about what works for them. Care leavers are particularly vulnerable to becoming excluded and not being able to access opportunities. What are the opportunities? The activities that most young people are interested in can be encouraged at fairly low/no cost e.g. swimming, parks, hanging out with friends. School is an important area for practising hobbies and developing new ones. Stakeholders (including foster carers themselves) recognise the important role that carers play in supporting positive use of leisure time. The fostering review is a timely opportunity to reinforce that role. Foster carers suggested that they share ideas about what is going on in their local area. Stakeholders want to encourage young people to try a broader range of activities and be creative in trying new things. There are pockets of good practice already, and existing schemes that looked after children and care leavers could benefit from. There are lots of opportunities to begin collecting LAC-specific data e.g. leisure cards, library cards and annual health assessments. Mentoring was a popular suggestion and could be done fairly easily. Encouraging citizenship/volunteering would be of benefit to both the young people and the local community. 27

29 What are the challenges? Lack of money, equipment, facilities and coaching can be a hindrance and sometimes the central reason for not accessing activities; however there is no further funding for this. RAISE funding supports a lot of extra-curricular activity but the long term security of this grant is uncertain. There is little funding for activities for care leavers, who are potentially a very vulnerable group. The need for foster carers to assess every situation can make them risk averse; this can limit young people s involvement in activities. There is no current capacity or incentive to collate LAC-specific data and there is a reluctance to publicly single out LAC from other young people. The role of leisure/culture/sport for LAC does not appear to be on the research agenda and there is no clear champion for this within the organisation or externally. Outcome area 5: Leaving care What are we doing well? Children in care have high aspirations for the future: a good education, successful and fulfilling career, stability and a happy family life. Most care leavers feel reasonably prepared when leaving care. Almost all have a pathway plan and feel involved and in agreement with what it sets out. The majority of care leavers are still in touch with the LA at age 19 and have a personal advisor. The majority have a good relationship with their personal advisor who they feel provides the support they needed. The majority of care leavers surveyed were in education, employment or training and were happy with what they were doing. All stakeholders recognise the important role that carers play in teaching their children the life skills that they will need as an adult. All described the importance of teaching this as part of normal family life, as any parent would do. Foster carers recognise the benefits of continuing to be there for their looked after children post-18. All questioned recognised that social services has a role to play in supporting gradual transition to adulthood, to simply be there to listen, advise and offer practical, financial and emotional help. Where do we need to improve? Financial difficulty and lack of financial support is a significant issue for care leavers. Finding and sustaining suitable housing is also an issue. A lack of options, particularly supported placements, is a major cause of this. Poor planning and the difficulties of the system were also noted. Care leavers and foster carers reported difficulties getting hold of staff and a poor attitude from staff. Care leavers can be socially isolated and it is often the most vulnerable who do not speak up. There is a need for better communication and understanding between foster carers, aftercare and housing, especially more timely information sharing. Care leavers are twice as likely to be NEET (43% compared to 21% nationally in Wales) and can struggle to get their first foot on the career ladder. The aftercare team cannot give the time needed to each individual two LAC teams feed into one aftercare team. 28

30 The system of support (e.g. benefits, housing and social services) can be complicated, frustrating and inflexible with lots of dysfunctional situations. There is poor record keeping about where a young person goes on leaving care. What are the opportunities? Young people want support as and when needed to support them through a gradual transition. Young people would like more information while still in care about what it will be like leaving care and what support will be available. All recognised the need for a gradual transition and needs-led not age-led planning. Foster carers recognise the role they play in teaching life skills and would like to share these skills further. The fostering review is a good time to restate this role. Housing and aftercare teams are keen to work more closely and have suggested various ways of doing this, eg housing access to ICS, joint teams, housing involved in planning/pathway meetings, social services informing housing quickly and regularly of any problems arising/potentially arising, working together the whole way through a case.. Lots of good projects e.g. Cynnal, Llamau, Solas as well as preventative programmes within the Housing team. Greater use could be made of these. Existing council resources could be used to benefit care leavers e.g. redecorating flats, council work experience opportunities. What are the challenges? There is a lack of resources and funding for aftercare services and this is likely to worsen in the current economic and political situation. Legislation is moving to a more nuanced understanding of leaving care but the prevailing expectation is still one of instant adulthood. There is no financial or external incentive to change this. On the micro level, foster carers may want to help post-care but have no financial support to do so. Housing and social services work to separate agendas, policy and legislation and face competing pressures. There is a lack of accommodation options but little capital to invest in this. Systemic financial pressures encourage social services to get young people deaccommodated as soon as possible, which can feel as if they are washing there hands of them. This financial pressure is likely to increase in the current economic and political climate. Newport support a number of UASC who tend to arrive aged which can leave little time for planning properly. The foundations for success in leaving care are laid much earlier e.g. a stable care career, educational success, gradual preparation and proper planning. Support after care can be too little, too late. 29