Decision details

It was agreed that Item 5 - Further Developing Care Leavers Offer and Support, and Item 6 - Increasing Care Leavers Offer who are in EET, as on the agenda, be taken jointly, as the items were interlinked.

The Chair welcomed Jennifer Robertshaw, Interim Head of Service – Looked After Children and Leaving Care, and Donna Duckworth, Social Worker – Leaving Care, to the meeting. County Councillor Cosima Towneley, Cabinet Member for Childrens and Families also supported the presentation of this item.

The report provided information on the offer of leaving care support for Lancashire's care experienced young people and detailed the current offer, recent service developments, and the council's aspirations for how to develop the service further. A presentation was also provided on this report, a copy of which is attached to the minutes.

The report from Item 6 - Increasing Care Leavers Offer who are in EET, provided information on the educational outcomes of Lancashire's care experienced young people and set out the position in relation to how services were improving the offer of support to those young people who were not in education, training and employment (NEET). Although, a presentation was prepared, it was not presented at the meeting, but is attached to the minutes for members to view.

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

• A question was raised about the availability of data on the living circumstances of care leavers aged 21 and older who had requested to step down from support. It was noted that, although these young people could choose to re-engage with the service at any time, there was no mechanism for the service to maintain contact with those who had left.

• Concerns were raised about care leavers in rural areas facing difficulties with transport to access support hubs. It was noted that, while provisions for transport costs related to employment and education were available, similar support was also provided for accessing care leaver hubs. Social workers would often transport the young people themselves to ensure they could attend events at the hubs.

• Further concerns were raised about the rising number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and the lack of equitable provision for them. It was suggested that a deep dive be conducted to gather detailed information on their number, gender, age range, living arrangements, and education provision. It was proposed to start with a Bite Size Briefing, which could be escalated to a deep dive if necessary.

• A question was raised about arrangements with neighbouring authorities for vulnerable children who may want to stay in areas outside Lancashire and it was noted that while the preference was for young people to stay within Lancashire due to existing support structures, there were provisions to support those who wanted to live outside the county.

• It was noted that many children might enter care for short periods and were often returned to their families once issues were resolved. The focus was on providing temporary support and ensuring children knew where to seek help if needed in the future.

• The Proud Awards were discussed, and it was highlighted that there were about ten categories and nominations for the awards could be made by peers, social workers, or the young people themselves, and the awards aimed to celebrate the care leavers achievements, whether big or small.

• It was proposed that more information on supported living for unaccompanied young children, including educational pathways and their distribution across the county be provided to the committee.

• Concerns were raised about care leavers attending university and their accommodation during holidays and it was noted that support was provided to ensure they had accommodation outside of term time and solutions were tailored to individual circumstances, including returning to foster homes or staying with extended family.

• It was also noted that while the county council dealt with children in public care, there were also children in private care who might face similar issues and the importance of addressing barriers to tertiary education for all children was emphasised.

• The committee asked the youth council representatives in attendance to share their future aspirations.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Members and officers for the report and for answering the committees' questions.

Resolved: That the Committee:

i.  Be provided with further data on the living circumstances of those aged 21 and over who have requested to step down support;

ii.  Be provided with more information about supported living for unaccompanied asylum-seeking young children;

iii.  Support the ongoing work and invite Officers to return to a future meeting of the Committee with an update and evaluation of progress made against the reported next steps.