Agenda and minutes

County Councillor Clarke

 

To note who is attending and any apologies for absence.

All were welcomed to the meeting and apologies were received from Janice Laing, Brian Wood, Sharon Hilton and Kirsty Clarke.

 

The following new members were welcomed to their first meeting:

 

County Councillor Ashley Sutcliffe (Deputy Chair), Lancashire County Council

County Councillor Ron Woollam, Lancashire County Council

David Russo – Fostering Forum

Angela Epps – Fostering Provider

 

The Board thanked the following outgoing members for their support and commitment to the Corporate Parenting Board:

 

County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, Lancashire County Council

County Councillor Scott Smith, Lancashire County Council

County Councillor Howard Hartley, Lancashire County Council

 

It was noted that Karen Barker was attending on behalf of Amanda Barbour, Fostering, Adoption and Residential Services Lancashire County Council.

 

Louise Anderson, Director of Children's Social Care was also welcomed to her first meeting and gave a brief introduction to the Board and reiterated the commitment to working with services within Lancashire County Council, Housing and District Councils to ensure that Lancashire's care leavers have the best places to live when they have left care and that children in care have lasting homes as early as possible.

 

County Councillor Clarke

 

To agree for accuracy the notes of the meeting and receive any matters arising.

Resolved:  That the minutes were agreed as an accurate record.

 

The Board were asked to note that at Item 5 – Children in Care and Care Leavers Health where Elected Members requested that a report be presented to Cabinet on behalf of the Board, asking that it considered offering fully funded training in mental health first aid and emergency first aid for all young people in the care of Lancashire County Council, that following the meeting, it was discussed at the Executive Senior Management Team meeting and Jacqui Old, Executive Director of Education and Children's Services, Lancashire County Council reported that this training is already provided, therefore a report to Cabinet was not required.

Young people from LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council), April Rankin and Adam Riley, Participation Team, Child and Family Wellbeing Service, LCC

 

To receive an update on what the Participation Team have been doing with LINX and the Care Leavers Forum since the last Board meeting.

Young people from LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council), April Rankin and Adam Riley, Participation Team, Child and Family Wellbeing Service, Lancashire County Council provided an update from the Care Leaver Forum and LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council) on what young people had been doing since the last Corporate Parenting Board meeting in November 2022.

 

The Board noted that:

 

·  Young people have had the opportunity to continue to meet face-to-face in local areas across Lancashire.  They attend LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council) or Care Leavers Forum, which are places to share ideas, experiences, meet new people and meet other professionals.  The sessions have focus points and also allow young people to add in some games and fun elements.  They enjoy attending the sessions as they are informal, and it enables them to discuss and get involved with group activities and work together.  During face-to-face meetings guests are invited to speak to the groups about various topics and offer support and advice.

·  Young people have also taken part in youth interview panels bi-weekly and deliver the interviews using Zoom.  They have also been involved with interviews for Social Workers and for a Senior Manager for Child and Youth Justice Service. Young people feel they learn a lot from being involved in this process as it can help them to understand interviews for when they are being interviewed.

·  During November young people attended additional sessions and participated in a quiz night with Elected Members from County and District Councils.

·  Young people met with OFSTED Inspectors and reported that they felt they had a safe place to answer their questions and share experiences.  They were split into age groups so the questions and having their voice heard were suitable for each young person.

·  In December the young people from both LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council) and Care Leavers Forum all went bowling and had a Christmas meal.

·  Young people also met with other participation groups (Lancashire Youth Council and POWAR) to have a Christmas dinner with games and gifts.

·  In January, young people took part in additional interviews for Team Managers as well as the Social Worker Youth Panels.

·  Staff from Public Health gave a talk to young people on School Nurses and young people shared their experiences from schools and colleges about the School Nurse Service they had received along with advice and support that had been provided to them.

·  Two Care Leavers attended the Children, Families and Skills Scrutiny Committee. A point was raised at the meeting about mental health and access which led to young people creating a short questionnaire about "What are your feelings, fears, feeling what is missing around accessing mental health". This questionnaire was sent out to all Personal Advisor Team Managers in order for young people to get some feedback about other people's experiences.

·  Throughout February, young people have been involved in a number of sessions.  Staff members from the Virtual School and a Fostering Social worker visited a group session in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Clare Smith, Policy, Commissioning and Children's Health, LCC

 

To receive and discuss the Participation Strategy in particular The Lundy Model - https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/children-and-young-peoples-participation/

 

Clare Smith, Policy, Commissioning and Children's Health, Lancashire County Council presented the Children and Young People's Participation Strategy to the Board.  The presentation is attached to the minutes.

 

The Strategy was written by children and young people, colleagues within Children's Services, Lancashire County Council along with partner organisations and was signed off by the Council's Cabinet in February 2023.  A launch event took place for the Strategy in February 2023.  The link to the Strategy can be found here: Children and Young People’s Participation Strategy - Lancashire County Council.  The Board were informed that the Strategy includes lots of tools for Services to evaluate how they are currently conducting participation within their own settings.  The Board noted that all Children's Services in Lancashire are carrying out a self-assessment of how they involve children and young people at the moment.  The findings will help to shape how services work individually share learning and good practice around participation.

 

The Board were presented with the Lundy Model of Participation which is included in the Strategy and its' four elements which are:

 

·  Space – how this is created to make children and young people feel welcome and feel that they can participate on an equal footing to the adults in the room. To ensure that spaces are children and young people friendly.

·  Voice – colleagues need to recognise that not all children and young people communicate in the same way.  They may need help to communicate in different ways, either through drawings, using symbols or using different languages. Also need to think about what children and young people may not be saying, it may be what is seen or heard or their behaviour.  May need to help them have an advocate if they need someone to help them with their voice and equally, they can choose to participate or not.

·  Audience - need to help children and young people connect with influential adults that can help support them with what they think is important such as offering practical advice to children and young people, using the relationships and partnerships from Board members roles to help influence change around the things that children and young people think are important and then to inform young people what has changed as a result of their participation.

·  Influence - need to help children and young people understand what difference their views have made, what impact has it had, what is different as a result of what they have shared and what kind of subjects they are interested in.

 

The Board were asked to discuss in groups how the Lundy model could develop the work of the Corporate Parenting Board.  Following discussions, a selection of some of the points raised were:

 

·   Think about where meetings are held, whether they are accessible for young people, friendly, different ways of communicating and offering information in a variety of formats.

·  Choice in venue for meetings ie health appointments.

·  Use a Corporate Parenting Board Roadshow model where the meeting takes place in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Brendan Lee, Looked After Children and Leaving Care, LCC and Andreas Feldhaar, Permanence Service, LCC

 

To discuss the outcomes and what the Board will do next following on from the Corporate Parenting Board Development Session held on 27 February 2023.

 

Andreas Feldhaar, Permanence Service, Lancashire County Council presented to the Board the Priorities and Actions from the Corporate Parenting Board Development Session that was held on 27 February 2023.

 

The Board had previously received the feedback from the group work sessions and this item was to discuss that feedback in more detail, aligning with the four Corporate Parenting Board priorities.  The Board noted the following feedback received for the four priority groups from each group work session on 27 February 2023:

 

"What we want to do next and how?"

 

Corporate Parenting, Partnerships, Practice and Participation (Achieving Permanence)

 

·  Trusting relationships with children/young people; knowing the children and young people in your area

·  Big ideas, aspirations, thinking outside the box, approach different people, resolve barriers

·  Focus groups and workshops

·  Champions/ambassadors

·  Localised/district/divisional focus

·  Learning and development

·  consolidating and maintain good practice, consistency

·  reflect on/learn from our achievements

·  learning from research, learning from outstanding authorities

·  audit, scrutiny, case studies, success stories

·  identify what we need to do for outstanding

·  confident about statutory work

·  Workforce planning and development

·  Better understanding roles and responsibilities

·  Accountability, challenging and solution focused conversations

·  Use specialism of individual councillors eg bankers, builders, marketeers' farmers etc

·  Communication and governance

·  increase awareness, bitesize briefings for councillors

·  shared concerns across partners and shared strategic and delivery plans

·  Corporate Parenting Board interconnection eg with safeguarding partnership

·  Trauma Informed Practice across all partners

·  Children/young people centred; child focussed decisions

·  Creating opportunities for children and young people as for our own

·  Young people's participation, engagement, co-production

·  wider representation (age, background etc)

·  surveys, meetings etc

·  resources and infrastructure (eg app)

 

Lasting Homes

 

·  'Home' versus 'A Home'

·  Residential support and experience of residential care

·  Peer support for foster carers

·  Leaders to speak to Developers/Contracts

 

Health and Wellbeing

 

·  Lifelong links and lasting (family) relationships

·  Social opportunities

·  Mental health support

·  Health day

·  Health summaries/passports

 

Education, Employment and Training

 

·  Improve Education, Employment and Training offer 18+

·  Education and employment support at home and schools

·  Taster courses

·  Links with employers

·  More traineeships/apprenticeships

·  Lancashire County Council and partners in-house apprenticeships and employment

 

"What does success look like?"

 

Corporate Parenting, Partnerships, Practice and Participation (Achieving Permanence)

 

·  Effective partnerships

·  Trauma Informed Practice across all partners

·  LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council)/Care Leaver Forum membership

·  Children and young people's stories and feedback (achievement and valued)

·  Children and young people's level of involvement in shaping services

·  Champions/ambassadors

·  Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and soft outcomes; not a reminder of past/not deficit focused

·  Ofsted (criteria/judgement/outstanding)

 

Lasting Home

 

·  Every young person has the right home at the right time

·  Lasting homes

·  Thrive

 

Health and Wellbeing

 

·  Access to health services (eg GP, dentist, mental health etc)

·  Self-esteem

 

Education, Employment, Training

 

·  Improved outcomes

·  Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Education, Employment, Training

·  Number of care experienced apprentices in Lancashire County Council and Partners

 

Following the presentation, the Board were asked to consider in groups, the following three questions for each of the four priority areas:

 

·  Do we have the right membership to influence and shape service provisions under each of our four priority  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Karen Barker, Fostering Adoption Lancashire Blackpool & Residential Services, LCC

 

To receive the six-monthly report which reports on the management, outcomes for children/other service users and financial state of adoption.

 

Karen Barker, Fostering, Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool and Residential Services, Lancashire County Council presented the Executive Summary of the Six-Monthly Corporate Parenting Report for Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool, 1 April – 30 September 2022.

 

The presentation attached to the agenda provided more detailed information on:

 

·  What is Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool?

·  What does Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool do?

·  What are Lancashire and Blackpool responsible for in Adoption?

·  Why does Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool complete a six-monthly report?

·  So, what does the report say?

·  How many children were adopted?

·  How many children placed for adoption?

·  How many children had Placement Orders made?

·  Why are the figures different?

·  How many adopters were approved?

·  Trends in children requiring adoptive homes

 

Resolved:  That the Board noted the Executive Summary of the Six-Monthly Corporate Parenting Report for Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool, 1 April – 30 September 2022.

 

County Councillor Clarke

 

To receive any other business.

 

OFSTED

 

The Board were asked to note that at the Full Council meeting on 23 February 2023 – Council thanked the Corporate Parenting Board for their leadership under County Councillor Clarke, which had been recognised as 'Good' in the January 2023 Ofsted report.

 

Future Meetings

 

The Board were asked if they agreed to move future meetings to a Wednesday evening. This was following a request from Facilities Management, Lancashire County Council who have requested that evening meetings are conducted on the same day.

 

Resolved:  That following discussion, the Board agreed to conduct future meetings on Wednesdays, however, noted that the September meeting would be held on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.

 

PEPSA Update

 

Audrey Swann, Education Improvement, Lancashire County Council informed the Board about the Personal Education Plan Support Allowances (PEPSAs) and support for Leaving Care Young People.  The plans are reviewed annually and one of the significant policy changes due to the cost of living, is a proposal; to increase the Higher Education bursary to £3000 from 1 April 2023.  The Board were asked for feedback on the proposal by 31 March 2023 and to email Audrey Swann, email Audrey.swann@lancashire.gov.uk.

 

Resolved:  That Sam Gorton, Democratic Services, Lancashire County Council would circulate further information on the Personal Education Plan Support Allowances (PEPSAs) and Support for Leaving Care Young People to Board members and requested that feedback be sent to Audrey Swann by 31 March 2023 on the proposal to increase the Higher Education bursary from £2,000 to £3,000.

 

Health Day

 

Andreas Feldhaar, Permanence Service, Lancashire County Council reminded the Board of the Health Day for Children in Care and Care Leavers on 20 April 2023 with two time slots of 10am-12 noon and 1pm-3pm.  All Board members are welcome to attend and further information will be circulated.

 

County Councillor Clarke

 

Wednesday, 10 May 2023 at 6.00pm in Committee Room 'C' – The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston, PR1 8RJ.

Wednesday, 10 May 2023 at 6.00pm in Committee Room 'C' – The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston, PR1 8RJ.