EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL CABINET: 6 FEBRUARY 2013

Transcription

1 EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL CABINET: 6 FEBRUARY 2013 DEVELOPMENT OF THE EAST AYRSHIRE CORPORATE PARENTING STRATEGY , INCORPORATING THE CARE LEAVER S STRATEGY Report by Executive Director of Educational and Social Services 1. PURPOSE 1.1. To seek approval of the multi agency Corporate Parenting Strategy , which brings together a range of corporate parenting activities and plans within a single overarching document and which incorporates the Care Leaver s Strategy BACKGROUND 2.1 Corporate Parenting is the term used to describe the collective responsibility of the Council and its Community Planning Partners to provide the best possible care and protection for children and young people who are Looked After by the Council. 2.2 In September 2009, the Member /Officer Working Group on Corporate Parenting was established to monitor the implementation of the corporate parenting action plan In addition, the group has considered a range of improvement and development activity relating to corporate parenting, and has initiated some further work, for example, in promoting the anti-stigma campaign within East Ayrshire. Regular progress reports have been submitted, and on 2 September 2011, the Working Group approved the final progress report. It was noted that all 21 objectives highlighted in the action plan had been achieved and that 6 of the objectives were being continued Throughout 2011/12, the Member / Officer Working Group received a range of presentations from young people and from organisations involved in delivering corporate parenting services. This approach recognises the key contribution which partner agencies make in implementing a range of corporate parenting actions and highlights the need for an overarching Corporate Parenting Strategy, aimed at connecting all the work streams in respect of looked after children, including the specific issues for young people leaving care. 2.4 The Corporate Parenting Strategy sits within the framework of the: East Ayrshire Children & Young People Service Plan ; and the East Ayrshire Child Protection Committee Business Plan The first meeting of the Corporate Parenting Member / Officer Working Group since the local government elections in May 2012 took place on 12 December At the meeting an opportunity was taken to reflect on progress, to raise awareness of new members and to provide an opportunity to consult on the draft Corporate Parenting Strategy. 2.6 As part of the work undertaken, young people have played a central role in shaping how services should be provided on leaving care. Therefore, a specific strategy has been developed with young people, in relation to care leavers in recognition of the

2 specific needs care leavers have in making the often difficult transition from care into the community (Appendix 2). This sits within the overarching Corporate Parenting Strategy and sets out how we intend to support young people in making the transition from being looked after and accommodated by the Council to successful independent living including positive destinations. It shows how all agencies can contribute towards the vital corporate parenting role through the delivery of high quality support services to help young care leavers and those preparing to leave care, in key areas such as: educational attainment and achievement; accommodation with support; and employment opportunities. 3. STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3.1 The Corporate Parenting Strategy sets out our priorities between 2012 and 2015 (Appendix 1). It outlines: our values and guiding principles; our service standards; and identifies two key outcomes, with accompanying priority actions. 4. STRATEGIC OUTCOMES 4.1 The strategy has two overarching high level strategic outcomes, these are: All Looked After Children, Young People and their families will thrive in their own communities through receiving the best possible health, care and education to help them; and Children and young people for whom it is not safe to remain at home will thrive with alternative families or in a range of residential children s houses. 5. KEY PRIORITIES 5.1 The strategy has identified 15 multi-agency priorities for action over the next three years. 5.2 The key priorities are: To establish rigorous and robust assessment and early intervention approaches to ensure we are getting it right for every Child or Young Person; To improve educational attainment and achievements of Looked After Children and Young People including community learning, and social and emotional development; To improve the health and wellbeing of Looked After Children and Young People; To maximise opportunities for Children and Young People s development through play, music, sport and leisure, and community learning opportunities; To ensure we have adequate and suitable provisions for all Children and Young People who require to be accommodated and those leaving care; To develop a range of high quality foster carers and adoptive parents and families to meet the individual needs of Children and Young People; To deliver high quality fostering and residential care which we are continuing to improve; To reduce the length of time that Children and Young People are waiting for permanent and adoptive placements;

3 To ensure that the length of time Children and Young People are accommodated is appropriate and to reduce the number of placement changes they may experience; To maximise the opportunities for Children & Young People to live with their families or extended families in the community; To make available independent advocacy that promotes the voice of Children and Young People including Young Carers and Care Leavers; To improve the training, further education, and employment opportunities for looked after young people; To ask Looked After Children & Young People about their aspirations and take these into account when developing community learning provision; 6. INVOLVEMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE 6.1 The views of children and young people have been taken into account in developing the approach. Key priorities identified by them include: ensuring adequate and suitable provisions for all children and young people who require to be accommodated; creating a range of accommodation options for care leavers; and making available independent advocacy that promotes the voice of children and young people including young carers and care leavers. 6.2 The East Ayrshire Promise (Appendix 3) was developed in 2010, and has since been positively promoted across all Scottish local authorities by Who Cares? Scotland, an independent advocacy organisation funded by the Council to support looked after children to have their views heard. It has continued to be adopted as a set of guiding principles in our work with looked after children and young people. In practice, this has been demonstrated through regular feedback to the Member / Officer Working Group and to senior council staff from Who Cares? Scotland, representing the views of looked after children and young people. This enables reinforcement of good practice with professionals, and ensures that any concerns are addressed. 7. LEGAL/POLICY IMPLICATIONS 7.1 The national policy on corporate parenting and our local commitment as set out in: These are Our Bairns, 2008; We Can and Must Do Better, 2008; Getting it Right for Every Child, 2006; Supporting Young People Leaving Care in Scotland, 2005 and the East Ayrshire Council and Community Planning Partner s Promise; To be Fair to a Child in Care, 2010, ensures we have set out our local corporate parenting priorities for action on a multi agency basis. In addition, the corporate parenting strategy will allow the Council to fulfil its statutory duties in relation to looked after children and young people. 8. RISK IMPLICATIONS 8.1 East Ayrshire Council and its Community Planning Partners are committed to the care and support of looked after children and young people. This plan identifies the key priorities which will ensure that the risks to children and young people are addressed in annual action plans.

4 9. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 9.1 The strategy is designed to be overarching in purpose and a number of individual developments have already been costed as part of the social work sustainability plan as approved by Cabinet in May The developments within the strategy are multi agency in nature, and therefore will have implications for all agencies. For developments specific to the Council, which are not yet costed or approved, more detailed plans and costs will be presented to a future Cabinet, for example in respect of the development of accommodation with support for care leavers. 9.3 The Council s Transformation Plan was approved at Council on the 28 June 2012, and as part of the plan work is taking place to redesign residential child care. This work will be reported through the member officer working group in 2013 and beyond. 10. COMMUNITY PLANNING IMPLICATIONS 10.1 The Corporate Parenting Strategy contributes to the achievement of the actions contained within the East Ayrshire Community Plan and more specifically the actions contained in the Improving Health and Wellbeing, the Promoting Life Long Learning and the Improving Community Safety Action Plans The Corporate Parenting Strategy has been developed with the involvement and support of the East Ayrshire Community Planning Partners. East Ayrshire Council take the lead role in relation to the development of the strategy. Multi agency consultation and engagement events were held on 16 November 2011and 2 April 2012 to involve partners in the identification of priorities and agency actions. The strategy will be subject to ongoing engagement and discussion across the partnership regarding implementation and performance Implementation of the strategy and progress reporting will be monitored by the Member / Officer Working Group on corporate parenting, which has been consulted on the contents of this strategy, and the associated care leavers strategy. 11. RECOMMENDATIONS 11.1 It is recommended that Cabinet: (i) approves the East Ayrshire Corporate Parenting Strategy ; (ii) (iii) (iv) approves the associated Care Leaver s Strategy ; and confirms a continuing commitment to our East Ayrshire Promise to looked after children; and agrees that an annual report on progress is submitted to Cabinet and to the Community Planning Board.

5 Graham Short Executive Director of Educational and Social Services GS/ST 09 December 2012 LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS (i) These are Our Bairns (2008) (ii) We Can and Must Do Better (2008) (iii) East Ayrshire Council and Community Planning Partner s Promise; To be Fair to a Child in Care 2010, (iv) Supporting Young People Leaving Care in Scotland (2005) (v) Corporate Parenting Strategy Action Plan Final Report 31 March 2011 Members requiring further information should contact: Susan Taylor, Head of Service: Children, Families and Criminal Justice on IMPLEMENTATION OFFICER: JIM LYON, SENIOR MANAGER TEL:

6 Supporting Young People Leaving Our Care:

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8 CONTENTS Front Cover No Regrets (See Footnote) East Ayrshire s Promise to looked after children and young people in support of the national anti-stigma campaign... 2 Contents... 3 Foreword... 4 Structure of this Strategy...5 Section 1 - An Overview Purpose of this Strategy What do we know about East Ayrshire s care leavers? What did the Care Leavers event tell us? What resources do we have for care leavers? Section 2 Themed Objectives Involving Young People Preparation for Leaving Care Assessment, Planning and Reviewing Accommodation Financial Support Education, Training and Employment Health and Wellbeing Management of Risk Section 3 Quality Assurance and Development of Services Notes Blank Paper for Personal Notes Footnote: The front cover of this document was commissioned from a local artist, who worked with looked after young people to provide a pictorial representation of the issues and matters discussed by the participants at the East Ayrshire Care Leaver s event in Crosshouse Community Centre, April Since the event the original artwork has been framed and is now in Benrig our latest children s house in New Farm Loch, Kilmarnock, which opened in July 2011.

9 FOREWORD The strategy describes East Ayrshire s approach to supporting care leavers and sets out how we intend to support young people in making the transition from being looked after and accommodated by the Council to successful independent living. It shows how all agencies can contribute towards the vital corporate parenting role through the delivery of high quality support services. It also shows how we intend to deploy our resources to sustain and enhance services for care leavers. The strategy was developed in 2010/11 and has since been revised and aligned to East Ayrshire Children and Young People s Service Plan and the East Ayrshire Child Protection Committee Business Plan Government research has highlighted the poor life outcomes for many young people who have been looked after and accommodated. The Scottish Executive report These are our Bairns (2007) and Looked after children and young people We Can and Must Do Better (2008) highlight the need to improve outcomes for this group of young people. These reports send a strong message that the success of care leavers services depends on a shared sense of corporate parenthood across partner agencies. All of our partner agencies are firmly committed to working together so that we can respond more effectively to the needs of care leavers. To successfully achieve this, a vital component in developing services is the existence of clear arrangements that enable care leavers to be involved in the planning of their care and in the wider development of services. This means that young people must feel empowered and be at the heart of planning processes. An example of this was the involvement of all agencies, who support care leavers, participating in our first East Ayrshire Care Leaver s Event in April This included care leavers themselves who assisted in identifying the key challenges and priorities for service improvement which have shaped this strategy document. Good outcomes for this group of young people will be achieved by fully embracing the principles of the national Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) framework, which is founded upon a shared value base and requires to be firmly embedded in every day practice. In this way, care leavers can receive support to enable them to become safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included. This strategy provides a plan of what we need to achieve, namely, to deliver East Ayrshire s Promise Give me a chance - Be fair to a child in our care by improving multi-agency services to care leavers and supporting them to become confident individuals, effective contributors, successful learners and responsible citizens. Finally, we wish to thank all those who participated in the initial Care Leaver s Event and to individual multi-agency staff who contributed towards the production of this strategy document. The next stage will be to make sure there is sustained commitment across the local partnership agencies to ensure that effective coordination and implementation of the strategy takes place.

10 STRUCTURE OF THIS STRATEGY Section 1 Gives a brief overview of the strategy s purpose, consultation process and local statistics on care leavers including the level of resources we have to support care leavers. Section 2 Partner agencies have adopted the quality indicators produced by the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum for best practice to support young people who are or have been looked after 1. We have included these under the heading Our Objective. This quality approach has helped agencies to reflect and evaluate where we are now and where we need to be to improve outcomes for care leavers. It includes the following themed objectives: Young People s Involvement Preparation for Leaving Care Assessment, Planning and Reviewing Accommodation Financial Support Education, Training and Employment Health and Wellbeing Management of Risk Where do we aim to be and How are we going to get there sets out what further work needs to be done to enhance services for care leavers to meet their needs and improve outcomes. These will be developed into a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) action plan by the Care Leaver s Workstream Group who will have lead responsibility for implementing these actions from the Care Leaver s Strategy, which sits under the Corporate Parenting Strategy Section 3 This section summarises the range of legislative and planning frameworks at national level, from which, local planning and consultation structures have been developed to address services for care leavers. It also describes the consultation stages throughout the strategy s production and how the findings have helped identify key service developments. In addition, to ensure fairness and equality the young person s religious persuasion, racial origin, sexual orientation, disability and cultural and linguistic background are vitally important in maintaining a sense of personal identity and worth. These have also been taken into account as part of this strategy. Finally, when planning this document we were keen to avoid the use of jargon. We hope we have managed to do so, and that you find the Strategy useful, informative and easy to understand. We will be pleased to receive your views and thoughts on 1 How Good is Your Throughcare and Aftercare Services

11 the strategy so that we can improve how we communicate our planning intentions to deliver better quality services. SECTION 1: AN OVERVIEW PURPOSE OF THIS STRATEGY The purpose of this strategy is to improve outcomes for young people who have spent time in local authority care (either in residential / secure accommodation or foster care and are preparing to leave and those looked after at home who are leaving school). WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT EAST AYRSHIRE S CARE LEAVERS? In East Ayrshire, as at 31 July 2012 there were 517 children and young people looked after by the local authority, of which (83) 16% were over 15 years old. 38 young people aged 16 or over ceased to be looked after in 2011/12. Of this number 18 were looked after away from home and 20 were looked after at home. 2 Education In East Ayrshire in education session 2009/10, our 34 looked after young people in S4 to S6 attained an average Unified Points Score (UPS) per pupil of 49 and in education session 2010/11 our 32 looked after young people in S4 to S6 attained an average Unified Points Score (UPS) per pupil of 78, which was higher than the Scottish average of looked after young people of UPS points which was 67 per pupil. In education session 2011/12 our 33 looked after young people in S4 to S6 attained an average of 76.3 (UPS) per pupil. The slight decrease in the average score for 2011/12 is linked to the number of young people attending specialist education and the variations in the presentation of courses which qualify for UPS points. The Scottish average of looked after young people UPS points for session 2011/12 has not yet been published. Housing and Accommodation 31 young people who had previously been in care presented as homeless during 2009/10. During 2010/11, 54 young people previously in care presented as homeless, 29 of whom had been in care within the last 5 years. During 2011/12, 48 young people presented as homeless, 28 of whom had been in care within the last 5 years. 3 All care leavers require to have a Care Plan with a nominated co-ordinator. Young people leaving care have a nominated Lead Professional who works directly with them and co-ordinates actions in line with their plan. Their relationship with the young person continues after they leave care until such time as it is no longer required. Accommodation Arrangements Children and young people aged 15 years or over accommodated by specific resource (as at 16 January 2013): 1 Social Work Services SWIFT System 3 Housing Database

12 15yr olds All LAAC Internal Children s House External Children s House 8 12 Internal Foster Carers External Foster Carers Residential School 4 9 Pre-Adoptive 0 11 Other Residential Care 0 0 Secure Care Note: There are 206 Looked After & Accommodated Young People as there is 1 duel placement. The above information reflects that while progress is being achieved within some service areas there is ample room for improvement. The responsibility does not sit with one single agency to ensure that care leavers are fully supported in all aspects of their life. A core element of GIRFEC is the Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) which has been rolled out across East Ayrshire to embed a team around the child approach across all agencies. The GIRFEC practice model will ensure that care leavers will benefit from agencies working more closely together to provide better and earlier support to all young people who need it. Implementation of the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child will help improve life outcomes for care leavers and other children and young people. WHAT DID THE CARE LEAVERS EVENT TELL US? The involvement of care leavers has been central to the development of the strategy. The priorities for service improvement were reflected as: Successes Flexibility within services (to meet Young People s needs) Progress in partnership working Really listening to Young People Good relationships between staff and Young People in the residential sector Culture shift already 16 year olds don t feel compelled to leave care Schools being more aware of who looked after children are

13 The appointment of looked after children and young people s nurses. Challenges Meeting housing/accommodation aspirations Clarify of roles of agencies (who does what?) Personalised packages for young people (one size does not fit all) Local opportunities for Young People with disabilities Out of hours support Higher participation and aspirations for young people in education Employment/Training with support WHAT RESOURCES DO WE HAVE FOR CARE LEAVERS? Currently, in East Ayrshire, we have a patchwork of resources spanning the local authority and its planning partners which include: Social Work Services including a new Intensive Support Team; Educational Services ranging from mainstream schools targeted initiatives such as More Choices More Chances to college provision; The specialist NHS Ayrshire and Arran Looked After Health Care Team; Housing Services and independent sector accommodation and support; Access to sports and leisure including a specific initiative, Sports Motivator, for accommodated young people in residential houses; Skills development and training provision from East Ayrshire Council and Skills Development Scotland. Advocacy and support services from Who Cares? Scotland. There has been a drive to coordinate and develop resources on a joint basis between partner agencies around the individual needs of care leavers. The commitment of East Ayrshire Council and its Community Planning Partners to this process can be seen in the initiatives and developments detailed in: East Ayrshire Children and Young People s Service Plan ; East Ayrshire Child Protection Committee Business Plan and East Ayrshire s Promise on Give me a chance: Be fair to a child in our care.

14 SECTION 2: THEMED OBJECTIVES THEME 1: INVOLVING YOUNG PEOPLE Young people and stakeholders tell us that We need to continue to indentify positive approaches that work with individual young people to maximise their involvement. Our objective Service providers and decision makers will actively ensure young people have a voice. What are we doing now? The involvement of children and young people who are accommodated is integrated into practice. This can be seen and evidenced in the following areas: Care Inspectorate reports on residential children s houses commenting how this involvement is achieved on an individual and group basis. Young people s meetings in each house which feed into the Youth Forum attended by the external residential manager and the Who Cares? Scotland Young People s Worker. Development days for young people in residential and foster care which facilitate involvement and consultation on services. The involvement of children and young people in developing DVD s and drama presentation to reflect their views and experiences to inform care providers and planners. The involvement of children and young people in the recruitment of residential and other key staff members. The developing use of East Ayrshire Continuing Opportunities for Gathering and Sharing (COGS) system to influence policy decision making. Efforts to recruit children and young people in sport, education, personal development and voluntary work. The involvement of two East Ayrshire young people on the national board of Who Cares? Scotland. The involvement of young people and staff members in the Anti Stigma Campaign, which is a national campaign to tackle stigma and prejudice associated with being in care. The encouragement of Young People to be involved in their care planning. Their views are sought and are often reflected in their care plan objectives. The systems for rewards encouragement and recompense of expenses for young people who take part in consultative and participation processes. The challenge in relation to Care Leavers is to ensure that this level of involvement is maintained and built upon once young people move out of residential and foster care. Encouraging young people to stay in touch with supportive adults and to

15 maintain contact is extremely important and helps ensure a personalised approach to meeting their needs. Laura s Story is a DVD which has been produced in the style of Big Brother for the recent learning disability practitioner s event. This DVD tells the story of planning Laura s transition from residential school/care in Glasgow to her hometown of Kilmarnock. It includes extracts from Laura, her family and the multi-agency team involved in the extensive planning required to return Laura home due to her complex additional needs, including severe learning disability and autism. WHERE DO WE AIM TO BE? As reflected in East Ayrshire s Promise Give me a chance: Be fair to a child in care we will: Listen to Care Leavers and work in partnership with them to increase opportunities for them to thrive. Combat the myths associated with children and young people in care. Promote a positive message of the achievements of children in care. Advocate for looked after children and young people and ensure they are seen as children first and foremost. Support the anti stigma campaign through practical materials and activities. How will we get there? 1. Encourage ownership of the care leaver s strategy and work with all concerned to achieve its aims. 2. Establish a Care Leaver s Forum or Group, including drop in services to support care leavers and shape services. 3. Hold an annual Care Leaver s Event to focus on specific themes and report the progress of the strategy. 4. Pilot the Rickter Scale approach to measuring outcomes of care plans with children and young people. 5. Continue the substantial work already undertaken with the We Can and Must Do Better training to help all agencies understand the world of the looked after child. 6. Ensure the Anti Stigma Campaign Be Fair to Care is widely disseminated via the press, publicity and events. THEME 2: PREPARATION FOR LEAVING CARE Young people and stakeholders tell us that There is a need for preparation and planning, with clear and relevant actions.

16 Our objective Preparation for adulthood will be a long-term, relationship based and personalised support service to help young people to reach their potential in all areas of their lives. What are we doing now? All young people who are looked after and accommodated are provided with support prior to their sixteenth birthday. Active preparation reflects their care plan objectives and timescales for moving on. Referrals of young people who are about to establish their own tenancy are encouraged to consider involvement with Fab Pad with their agreement. This service will continue to be reviewed to ensure equality of access and that they have the skills and experience to assist in setting up their home. Care Leavers benefit from an increased emphasis to maintain the involvement of their lead professional throughout the time of their transition and on to a period of settled living in an independent setting. This ensures that relevant knowledge is kept and supportive relationships are maintained for a longer period. All staff members supporting throughcare tasks with Care Leavers, in developing their lives beyond their care placements, are expected to hold or be working towards the achievement of relevant qualifications for their post and are encouraged to maintain involvement in relevant training thereafter. Preparation moving towards independence - A young person who was accommodated in an East Ayrshire Council Children s House showed a clear interest in performing arts. The young person was encouraged by support staff to take on challenges within school theatrical productions and musicals as a Production and Events Management Person. This was further developed by encouraging and assisting the young person to attended college. The young person has since moved into college accommodation after an extensive preparation programme which equipped the young person with every day skills for living. The young person continues to have contact with staff members who share immense pride in his achievements. Where do we aim to be? As reflected in East Ayrshire s Promise we will find creative ways to include and support children and young people in their communities, including young people leaving care.

17 How will we get there? 1. Preparation for leaving care will start as early as appropriate and continue over the longer term at the young person s pace and in keeping with their assessed needs. 2. Preparation will include attention to all aspects of young people s needs including skills for living independently, continuing training, education and employment, and continuing access to opportunities for leisure and personal development. THEME 3: ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND REVIEWING Young people and stakeholders tell us that The need for personalised packages (of care) is a key challenge (one size doesn t fit all). Building a team around the child; clarifying the roles of agencies and person centred planning are all viewed as important things to achieve. Our objective A comprehensive assessment will be carried out by a suitably skilled person. Plans will be made and properly reviewed on a regular basis. Young people will be actively involved and their views will be sought at each stage. What are we doing now? The seven overarching GIRFEC wellbeing indicators for children and young people forms the cornerstone for improving outcomes and ensuring that the needs of children are met. We have implemented the Integrated Assessment Framework process and paperwork on a multi agency basis. We have adopted the ethos described in the Sweet 16 report by the Commissioner for Children and Young People to ensure young people remain in placements until it is assessed that it is appropriate for them to move on. Where do we aim to be? Getting it Right for Every Child ensures the child is placed at the centre of all care planning activity, families are central to the care planning process and their views are systematically sought and recorded. This will involve developing the ethos so that staff will take a holistic approach to meeting the needs of children and young people, with greater emphasis on the use of self within the helping relationship regardless of the professional role.

18 GIRFEC and Integrated Assessment Framework How will we get there? 1. We shall establish the principle of one child, one lead professional and one meeting, within our care planning system. 2. All young people leaving care will have a nominated Lead Professional who will work directly with them and co-ordinate all aspects of their care plan, and they will continue to work with them after the young person leaves care until such time as it is no longer required. 3. Future Getting it Right for Every Child training will develop the leadership role of the Lead Professional and the importance of building the team around the child. 4. Young people will have a central part in contributing to the assessment of their needs and the planning and review processes, using materials and approaches they find most appropriate and helpful. 5. We shall take a person centred approach to planning to ensure young people have their individual needs addressed. THEME 4: ACCOMMODATION Young people and stakeholders tell us that Out of hours support by phone or face to face is the most important factor in their personal supports, closely followed by matching housing options to need and availability of support. Our objective Suitable accommodation options and appropriate support will be provided to meet young people s individual needs. The provision of accommodation and support will be provided to a quality and in a manner that reflects the values of a responsible parent.

19 What are we doing now? A Supported Carers scheme was established during 2012 and will be incrementally developed. Staff members from the Intensive Support Service will recruit and train Supported Carers to initially provide up to six placements for care leavers. Moving towards independence A young man moved into his tenancy about a year ago following a number of care placements spanning several years. Support from his Social Worker, his Who Cares? Worker and his Intensive Support Worker has allowed him to live independently within the community of his choice. He is now planning a further move to locate closer to his extended family and friends. He has been supported to commence a course of study at a local College and the personal support he has received has helped him gain confidence in making positive choices in his life. Where do we aim to be? As reflected in East Ayrshire s Promise we will find creative ways to include and support children and young people in their communities, including young people leaving care. How will we get there? Developing life skills, continued staff support and having a range of accessible housing/accommodation options is the key to ensuring care leavers are properly supported in the community. 1. Supported accommodation options will be developed to provide a range of accommodation options for care leavers and young single homeless people. The options will provide supportive environments in which care leavers will be able to acquire the full range of life skills for them to live independently. 2. The Council s new allocations policy and Strategic Needs Group will continue to give care leavers enhanced priority. 3. A key aim is that between the Supported Carers Scheme and Supported Accommodation schemes, care leavers will have the time and support they need to acquire the life skills that will enable them to live independently. In this way care leavers will then be able to take up social rented tenancies with an improved prospect of sustaining them in the longer term. 4. Continuing support and practical advice will be provided by staff from East Ayrshire Council s Children s Houses as part of the overall care plans for young people previously accommodated. 5. New ways of providing support and contact will be developed which encourage care leavers to keep in touch, visit and return for advice and assistance. This

20 will emphasise the importance of birthdays, Christmas and other cultural and festival celebrations. It will include peer support and partnership working. THEME 5: FINANCIAL SUPPORT Young people and stakeholders tell us that There is a need to have a clear financial support policy in place for young people which, states the range of multi agency supports available and how to access them. Our objective East Ayrshire Council will provide financial support to Care Leavers during the transition from being looked after to moving towards independence, as set out in a clear, transparent, young person friendly policy. What are we doing now? We are providing financial support to care leavers which is a key duty and responsibility of East Ayrshire Council. All decisions are based on the principle of acting in the best interests of the young person. Incentives to encourage participation in training and education are available to all service users. All young people are advised that they were not obliged to leave a course of study due to inadequate financial support. Financial assistance is provided to young people throughout their transition into the Benefits System if they are not in employment, education or training. All service users are actively encouraged to open and operate a bank account as an early step towards supporting financial inclusion and most have already done so. Financial Support - A young woman ceased to be accommodated in a residential school soon after her sixteenth birthday. It was her choice to move into supported accommodation in Kilmarnock. She was able to find short term employment on several occasions although often this was of short duration. On one occasion her employer ceased to trade and she was not paid for the month she had worked. Throughout a two year period she was always confident that she could access financial support. She always had enough help to buy food and pay her bills. Where do we aim to be? There will be a clear policy in place on financial support that sets out eligibility and entitlement, including arrangements between relevant agencies for care leavers.

21 How will we get there? 1. In 2010/11 a review of arrangements, with the involvement of young people, for the financial support of care leavers was undertaken and in late 2011 increased weekly maintenance rates were implemented aligned with the current Job Seekers Allowance rates. In March 2012, East Ayrshire Council s Cabinet agreed an up-lift from April 1 st 2012 aligned to the Job Seekers Allowance rates. This is an action identified from the original draft strategy which we have implemented. 2. Policy information and publicity materials for young people will be developed. THEME 6: EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT Young people and stakeholders tell us that Higher participation and aspirations for young people in education is challenging. Also Mentoring and befriending opportunities are priorities. Our objective Young people will be supported to achieve positive educational outcomes. Achievable routes into further and higher education, training and employment will be provided along with staff support. What are we doing now? Schools are provided with funds each session from the More Choices More Chances budget to support those young people in S3, S4 and S5/6 who are looked after, with their SQA examinations. Schools provide teacher mentors for accommodated children and young people in the schools. They are able to advise on a range of services and support young people with school attendance and attainment. Young people who are accommodated in East Ayrshire children s houses have the opportunity to participate in outdoor learning aimed at supporting them into positive destinations. Transitional Support workers have specific responsibility for young people who are accommodated in residential houses or schools within and outwith East Ayrshire. A range of initiatives funded by Inspiring Scotland partners including Action for Children s Youth build, and YIPWorld and Enable are designed to support the most vulnerable young people in East Ayrshire into positive destinations. Skills Development Scotland is committed to partnership working within East Ayrshire Council to enable accurate identification in this client group. Key workers are then allocated to Care Leavers to support them into positive destinations. Training Officers from Skills Development and Education Services undertake visits to the 3 residential houses in East Ayrshire to meet with staff and young people to raise awareness of training services available.

22 All looked after young people are guaranteed a training place on our Modern Apprenticeship programme provided that the entry criteria are met. Training places are also guaranteed to any young person interested in the other National Training Programmes (GRFW, Lifeskills and TFW). East Ayrshire Skills Development and Employability Service share information and promotional materials with all services to raise awareness about the range of opportunities available within the service. All Care Leavers who leave school are subject to coordinated support from Social Work, Education, Skills Development Scotland and the Employability Service to meet their identified needs. Get Ready for Work - a young woman who left care was successful in gaining a place on the EAC Lifeskills Programme. This programme provides training and offers young people the opportunity to develop their skills for life and employment. She attended this flexible programme in Kilmarnock for 6 months. At first, there were a number of challenges to work through including issues of anger management and offending. During her time on the programme she gained confidence and undertook a work placement in a hairdressing salon which she really enjoyed. After completing the Lifeskills Programme she was successful in gaining employment within the salon due to the hard work and commitment she has shown in her work placement. She then went onto college to study for an SVQ in Hairdressing which has now completed. (Lifeskills story) Where do we aim to be? As reflected in East Ayrshire Promise we will support young people in fulfilling their potential. This has been developed into a local outcome to increase the Educational achievement of children and young people at risk 4. We intend to: Increase the percentage of looked after children who attain SCQF Level 3 in English and Maths. Increase the proportion of looked after children attaining SCQF Level 3 in any subject. Reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training. Support all looked after children and young people to maximise their education and social inclusion. 4 East Ayrshire Single Outcome Agreement has set a Commitment specifically to meet national outcome 8.

23 How will we get there? 1. Schools will ensure that all accommodated children and young people have a personal learning plan to support the achievement of educational attainment, training and employability targets. 2. We will extend outdoor learning opportunities to all Care Leavers. 3. We shall develop and improve the support available to Care Leavers to increase those progressing into positive destinations via the More Choices More Chances partnership. 4. We shall ensure that effective data sharing is in place to guarantee that support for Care Leavers continues in Colleges and with training providers. 5. We shall promote internal employment and training opportunities within the council for Care Leavers. 6. We shall establish a robust tracking system for Care Leavers, who are school leavers, to ensure continued support and advice. 7. THEME 7: HEALTH AND WELLBEING Young people and stakeholders tell us that When planning for young people we should make sure that the Community Mental Health Service features also leisure/recreation, arts and healthy living. Our objective Young people will be supported to be healthy and well in all aspects of their life. Accessible arrangements will be in place to meet the health and wellbeing needs of young people as they engage with the throughcare & aftercare process. What are we doing now? The Sports Motivator Initiative supports young people who are looked after in residential children s houses to take part in sport and leisure activities. This helps improve their physical health and wellbeing and ensures that time is spent in a constructive and positive environment, leading to increased confidence and self esteem. 5 All Young people are offered a holistic health assessment by the Looked After and Accommodated Health Team to identify any gaps where health care has been neglected. Referrals are made to specialist services for example, sexual health, addictions, mental health, if appropriate. We provide updates/training on specific health issues for young people, carers and staff. We offer individual support for young people on any health matter. 5 Good practice highlighted through HMIe report of inspection published 11/03/2010.

24 All East Ayrshire children s houses are taking part in work to achieve Health Promotion recognition. This work involves evidencing the promotion of healthy lifestyles through diet, exercise, stimulation and greater knowledge. A sports motivator is employed to promote participation in sport for looked after young people. She visits each children s house regularly and works with young people and staff to identify interests and talents. She then supports young people to attend and participate in these activities. Changes were made to staff shift patterns in children s houses to facilitate specific personalised support for young people or identified group activities. Where do we aim to be? Appropriate multi agency planning and support arrangements will be in place to meet the health and wellbeing needs of young people while they are looked after and on leaving care. How will we get there? The Sports Motivator seeks feedback from the young person to continue and encourage the young person s longer term involvement. Leisure Services (Cookwell Initiative) will continue to deliver this cooking skills programme to young people in East Ayrshire Children s Houses. Following analysis of the Lifestyle Referral Scheme we shall identify if there is a need for young people to be supported by the CHIP Team to further encourage healthy behaviour such as being active, eating a healthy diet and not smoking. Through CEL 16 initiatives and the current offer of holistic health assessments and the findings of this process, we shall implement a comprehensive service to ensure all looked after and accommodated children and young people have the offer of health assessments and treatment on a needs led basis. We shall improve co-ordination of efforts between agencies to ensure that all Care Leavers access the Looked After and Accommodated Health Team. NHS Ayrshire and Arran will develop training/care pathways for Care Leavers on how to access mainstream health services. THEME 8: MANAGEMENT OF RISK Young people and stakeholders tell us that... Effective management of risk requires utilising a common set of tools to help them undertake good quality risk assessments and risk management.

25 Our objective Procedures and arrangements will be in place for the assessment, support, reviewing and monitoring of young people who are or may be a risk to themselves or others and who may or may not be convicted offenders. What are we doing now? The Integrated Assessment Framework (GIRFEC) includes the Resilience Matrix Risk Assessment Model for service users which is being embedded as the prime method of assessment and care planning. Further training is required on specific aspects of risk assessment (the Resilience Matrix). Initial evaluation of the IAF roll out indicates that we are either not using specific risk assessment tools or we are not recording them. Focused work will be undertaken by Social Work Localities staff, the Intensive Support Service, and Action for Children Turning the Corner and Moving On projects to ensure that risk assessment and risk management is in place across services where required. Lead Professionals are identified for young people who require an integrated assessment. They have a responsibility to co-ordinate the assessment including identified risks and a risk management plan within the overall assessment. Managing Risk - A two day risk management course has been implemented for staff members of social work services. The training has helped staff gain a better understanding of the key concepts of risk management and risk assessment; This has included: inclusive approaches in undertaking risk assessments; developing a common understanding of the language of risk assessment and the use of available assessment tools. Where do we aim to be? The final IAF training phase of a three phased training programme has been completed in East Ayrshire and the overall effectiveness of the training will be evaluated. Effective risk assessment and risk management models will be in place to help ensure consistency and continuity of approach in caring for young people preparing for and leaving care. How will we get there? 1. Through the evaluation of the implementation of GIRFEC and IAF processes we shall identify further areas for improvement in the practice of risk assessment and risk management.

26 2. We shall build on the risk assessment training undertaken within social work services to introduce a multi agency risk assessment programme to help align concepts of thresholds of risk and risk management. 3. We shall continue to consult with young people and their representative forums to indentify the risks and challenges faced by Care Leavers in their care placements and particularly through their transition into independent living. 4. We shall undertake further work with regard to the implementation of an appropriate model for measuring outcomes. This will include outcomes associated with the effectiveness of risk assessment and risk management. SECTION 3: QUALITY ASSURANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES Our objective Quality assurance and development of services contribute to an integrated system for evaluating, ensuring and improving the quality of services for young people who are or have been looked after. This will be in accordance with national standards for the range of relevant support services. How we will we get there? As reflected in East Ayrshire s Promise we will continue to provide high quality services. The following summary explains the mechanisms that are in place to implement and monitor continuous improvement. Planning overview East Ayrshire takes its corporate parenting role seriously and to address this important issue locally the Looked After Children national agenda is firmly embedded within the priorities set within the Single Outcome Agreement, the Corporate Parenting Strategy , and our Children and Young People s Service Planning arrangements. Our commitment to review and evaluate service provision is driven by our desire to continuously improve services with a view to achieving the best possible outcomes for care leavers. We recognise that self evaluation tools can assist with identifying our capacity to improve services, therefore adopting this type of approach was key in developing this strategy. A self evaluation exercise was undertaken by individual partner agencies against the quality indicators for best practice How Good is Your Throughcare and Aftercare Service? which received formal endorsement from the Scottish Government in We will continue using this approach to promote a culture of continuous improvement by undertaking self evaluation regularly and on an annual basis. How will the strategy be implemented and monitored? The sections entitled How we will get there set out what further work needs to be done to enhance services for Care Leavers, meet their needs and improve