Issue - meetings

Residential Manager, LCC

To receive a verbal update from LCC's residential units on how they and our young people have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Nunn, Residential Senior Manager and Frankie Hearty, Residential Child Care Worker, Fostering, Adoption, Residential and Youth Offending Team Services were welcomed to the meeting and gave an insight on how lockdown and social distancing measures had changed the lives of young people across Lancashire's in-house residential services. 

Michael updated the Board on the Outreach Adolescent Support Unit which has been run by the Outreach Service who have been working diligently with families that have young people on the edge of care in order for them to keep together, meet their individual needs and challenges and also find ways of having some fun during lockdown and taking some of those pressures away from families that are really struggling through this difficult time.

Some Mindfulness packs have been collated by the Council's Community Outreach Teams and were put together for parents with young people and young people themselves that were struggling during lockdown.  The packs contained activities/sessions/help booklets/contact details and were left on the doorsteps of families in need across Lancashire to reach out to them.  Private meetings on Zoom were also offered so parents/young people could speak to professionals on a one to one basis and all were given key contacts.  Colouring books and art supplies were also donated from a number of businesses across Lancashire and the Council's Overnight Short Break Units to enable parents to do activities with their children and hopefully alleviate some pressures.

Examples of other activities carried out during lockdown were highlighted below:

·  Sunflower competition where young people where young people were provided with all the equipment and a virtual celebration event will be held shortly.

·  Live baking sessions – dropping off ingredients so young people could participate.  This is also a great upskilling activity and something that will be taken forward in the future which has been well received.

Over a 1000 tins of shortbread biscuits were donated from Royal Edinburgh and these were distributed far and wide across Lancashire and gave an opportunity to drop these on the doorsteps and engage in conversation with young people and families in need.

The Adolescent Support Unit have continued to receive young people into the service and have been managed in separate groups to aid social distancing and minimise the impact of COVID-19 on the group.

Frankie guided the Board through the presentation that was attached to the agenda where it was reported that despite the challenging times everyone was experiencing, the homes and outreach services had continued to go above and beyond for the children and young people they cared for.  It was noted that many of the young people had turned the experience into a positive one by developing better relationships in their homes with other young people and staff who care for them and learnt new technology to maintain contact with friends and family whilst being in lockdown.  Young people have also received communication/contact during this time from many professionals and services including social workers, independent reviewing officers, teachers as well as many  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4