Issue - meetings

Councillor Baker proposed and Councillor Fowler seconded the report which sought to set out the legal underpinning of corporate parenting, the structure and role of the Board, to summarise the Board’s activity during the reporting period, and set out the Board’s performance against the priorities set out in the Trust Improvement Plan, and the Board’s future priorities.

Members made comments as follows:

·       Improvements in child in care outcomes were improving, however there were still gaps – how were IRO caseloads being managed? The safety of young people must come first, and smaller caseloads would enable more effective practice.

·       Less than 50% of placements were achieved with NCT approved foster carers – this required immediate remedy and focus.

·       The fostering process was plagued with problems; it should be smooth and error-free, to ensure carers felt valued and respected.

·       More information was requested as to what Members could do as corporate parents.

·       The report should include more detail (age, length of time in care, how many moves each child has experienced, etc.)

·       Was the mentoring befriending scheme working?

·       Systems should flag up who children in care and care leavers were.

·       A report from the Select Committee regarding exempt housing revealed that housing providers were charging more than regular housing benefit allowance; many care leavers in West Northamptonshire were living in exempt housing which was making a lot of care leavers vulnerable. These were usually areas of high criminality.

·       Members were pleased to see in the report references to apps that support young people in learning – information sharing was very helpful, and Members were also pleased to see tailored training and that the report included and benefit audits undertaken.

·       More detail would be forthcoming in the upcoming Ofsted report.

·       Exempt housing was an NCC legacy issue, and Housing were working on a solution. The Deputy Leader would bring an update to Council in due course.

·       The Corporate Parenting Board was a combined board between the North and West, which made it more difficult to make decisions. Often Members would not attend meetings of the Corporate Parenting Board and those Members who sat on it were encouraged to attend every meeting.

RESOLVED:

1)    Council:

a)    Approved the establishment of Corporate Parenting Operational Groups as set out in Section 3 of the annual report.

b)    Approved the inclusion of corporate parenting responsibilities being set out in every job description with NCT and West Northamptonshire Council, as set out in Section 3 of the annual report.

c)     Approved NCT and West Northamptonshire Council becoming a Fostering-Friendly employer, as set out in Section 3 of the annual report.