Agenda item

Young people from LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council), April Pollitt 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 since the last Board meeting, including feedback from the Young People's Corporate Parenting Board meeting held on 26 July 2023.

Young people from LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council) and the Care Leavers Forum (CLF) provided findings from the Corporate Parenting Board Youth Takeover event on 26 July 2023.  The Board noted that 52 people from across different services in Lancashire County Council including Elected Members, NHS, private providers and other partners as well as 19 young people.  A presentation with further feedback can be found appended to the minutes. The meeting included:

 

·  An ice breaker.

·  A young person spoke about their positive experience which included a good news story around support for getting employment and training.

·  A creative activity about participation based on the Lundy model.

·  Carousel style table discussions on Corporate Parenting Board priorities (Financial Support, Lasting Homes, Health and Wellbeing, Employment Education and Training) where each table looked at five main questions:

 

i)  What is already happening?

ii)  What is yet to happen?

iii)  What would make the biggest change?

iv)  Who or what can make this happen?

v)  How can young people find out what's going on or of the change made?

 

There was positive feedback received at the end of the session which included:

 

·  Less professional works better

·  Good speech

·  Great day – loved being able to speak to young people and hear their views – so important you take them forward. 

·  Lots to think about for me about how we undertake participation.

·  Was a very good day should do it again to look at the progress of the points we spoke about.

 

Following on from the meeting in July 2023, young people focused on some points from what would make the biggest change, and spotlighted key areas on each topic:

 

What would make the biggest change?

 

Feedback showed some common overarching themes which were:

 

·  That young people need to be involved as early as possible.

·  There needs to be better working together across the different services and better communication between the Council, other agencies and those that help young people such as social workers and personal advisors.

 

The Board were informed of things that young people think will make a difference, include:

 

·  Health - helping with the skills to ensure young people are in good health.

·  Lasting homes - extending the Housing Project and being more open when young people express a preference to live in a particular area.

·  Education, Employment Training - being more directly involved in leading and managing Personal Education Plans (PEP).

·  Financial support - more support particularly with making transitions would be really helpful. Young people can be confused about what is available.

 

Education, Employment and Training:

 

The feedback that has been provided suggests that there may be some helpful solutions which could help all care experienced young people. Different organisations and teams are working together to help young people, however, some more support is needed.

 

Young people mentioned about them being more involved with their Personal Education Plans (PEP) however, they feel this can be difficult and need support to develop the skills to help them do this.

 

Young people commented that growing up can be worrying and stressful and that more support is needed to help them really understand the available options and what support is available. They also need help to be able to develop the range of skills that will help them with future employment.  They feel that the way in which the various organisations communicate and share information with young people can be improved. The feel that young people need to be more directly involved in helping with communications and the methods in which it is shared. Many young people are active and know where to get information, however, it needs to be presented in a more young person friendly and accessible way.

 

Lasting Homes

 

Young people commented that the transition to independence is a really important time in their life and there are things in place to help with this, however, if this is to be successful then some further support would be helpful, particularly in extending the House Project, given the challenges of housing across Lancashire and putting in place a preparation programme that is more flexible in how it will seek to engage with young people, and lessen any barriers that might otherwise put young people off from participating.

 

Points that stood out for young people the most were:

 

·  Expanding the House Project.

·  Changes within Social Housing to prioritise care leavers.

·  Increase in one bedroom accommodation across the county.

·  Support for practical tasks like DIY, a place to ask simple questions.

·  Local connection being able to be challenged when a young person may have lived in a number of areas, or they want to move for career/education reasons.

·  Managing transitions better so young people know what is going on.

 

Financial support

 

Young people know there is a wide offer for children and young people regarding financial support, however they feel there are still some gaps in young people knowing what they are entitled to ie staying close, staying put, wider funding for aspirations and hobbies eg young drivers, College bursary, summer bursary flexibility, extended work placements and free school meals.

 

Health and wellbeing

 

Young people commented that within this group there had been vast discussions around health and wellbeing around what is already available and what is yet to happen as well as the additional support that is needed. The key points that stood out to young people are to extend offers past 25 years, increase dental pathways, moving areas should not put you at the bottom of the list and automatic referrals take a while. They also feel that the access to GPs and support could be reviewed to ensure that young people have easier ways to talk to them or ensure they are receiving the right support they need.

 

During the session, young people also wanted to see if anyone had any new ideas on how care experienced children and young people can be informed of new changes and developments and to ensure that consistency is key by using a range of methods as it is not one size fits all.  Some examples are provided in the presentation attached.

 

Following the young people's presentation, the following comments were made:

 

·  Some of the points young people have raised are already being done and why do they not know about them, and other things are longer term fixes, where conversations are being had about them and other issues are fixes that can be done quickly.

·  The Board needs to support the issues raised and discuss what needs to happen next as a Board and bring it together as an action plan.

·  There is a separate health meeting where health and Children's Social Care colleagues meet to ensure that all requirements highlighted in the health priority are being met and this is something that needs to be reported back into the Corporate Parenting Board, and discussions will take place regarding this, on the best way forward. 

·  Again, in health, some of the issue raised are already happening, some can be done and also the information that has been provided by the young people will also inform some of the national work that is going on because there is a strong inference that the current guidance that shapes support for care leavers and children in care is being reviewed by Government and they are asking for young people's viewpoints.

·  Feedback on the Health priority will be feedback to the Health Subgroup.

·  It was agreed that Andreas Feldhaar, Permanence Service and April Pollitt, Participation Team, Lancashire County Council devise an action plan and have this signed off by the relevant management board and present this back to the Corporate Parenting Board so it can be monitored, and key performance indicators (KPI's) set.  Clare Smith, Policy, Commissioning and Children's Health Team, Lancashire County Council also agreed to support this area of work.

·  The Corporate Parenting Board really value young people's input and really want to listen and act on what they are saying.

·  Young people need to ensure issues are as specific as possible for the action plan.

·  There were around six pages of bullet points from the meeting on 26 July 2023 and it was agreed that April Pollitt, Participation Team would circulate the relevant bullet points to the teams so that these can be actioned and utilised within the relevant services.

·  The Board also needs to celebrate its' successes and look at how this can be done.

·  Following on from the Young People's meeting look at having a 1/2/5-year plan and put timescales in there and seek the young people's top priorities which they want to be achieved first with timescales.

 

Resolved:  That the Corporate Parenting Board:

 

i)  Thanked young people for their feedback from the Corporate Parenting Board Youth Takeover meeting on 26 July 2023 and that their comments are noted and will feed back into the different services.

ii)  Agreed that Health colleagues need to discuss further, how to feedback outcomes from the meetings that are held with Children's Social Care colleagues around issues raised by young people in the health priority.

iii)  Agreed that Caroline Waldron, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, would ensure that issues raised under the health priority, will inform national work that is being reviewed by Government on current guidance that shapes support for care leavers and children in care.

iv)  Agreed that Andreas Feldhaar, Permanence Service and April Pollitt, Participation Team, Lancashire County Council devise an action plan and have this signed off by the relevant management board and present this back to the Corporate Parenting Board so it can be monitored, and key performance indicators (KPI's) set.  Clare Smith, Policy, Commissioning and Children's Health Team, Lancashire County Council also agreed to support this area of work.

v)  Agreed that April Pollitt, Participation Team, Lancashire County Council would circulate the relevant bullet points from the feedback at the meeting on 26 July 2023 to the teams so that these can be actioned and utilised within the relevant services.