Agenda item

7.1

The Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families, submitted a report containing an update on the progress of Sheffield’s Looked After Children and Care Leavers. 

7.2

The report made reference to the City Council’s Looked After and Adopted Children Multi-Agency Strategy 2010-13, in which a number of strategies, ambitions and actions had been defined under the following six key priority themes – Engagement and Influence of Children and Young People, Education, Achievement and Attainment, Health and Wellbeing, Permanence, Integrated Placements and Placement Stability and Safeguarding and Vulnerability.  The report contained details of the progress made in connection with each of the priorities, together with proposals in terms of the priorities for 2014. Reference was also made to a new one-year Looked After and Adopted Children Strategy, which was currently being developed for launch in April 2014, and which included a further priority theme – Care Leavers.

7.3

In attendance for this item was Jon Banwell, Assistant Director, Children and Families Service, Children, Young People and Families.

7.4

Members of the Committee raised questions and the following responses were provided:-

·                The process for monitoring and reviewing on a regular six monthly basis is carried out by the Independent Reviewing Service.  Outside of these reviews, checks would be made as and when specific problems were identified.  It was important that the Local Authority was informed of any problems at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that any relevant action could be taken.

·                The increase in the number of children subject to Special Guardianship Orders was seen as positive in that whilst there was an element of permanency in terms of the placement, it still allowed input from the Local Authority, which gave longer-term stability for the child. 

·                All Looked After Children were placed in schools which were deemed to be most suitable for their individual needs.

·                As part of the five-year Fostering Business Case, actions implemented had increased the choice, range and number of placements available, and the number of foster carers over the last five years.  A new target had been set for the 2014/15 Financial Year, and there continued to be an increase in the number of foster carers. 

·                An additional resource has been created whereby the Local Authority had access to 25 properties to enable care leavers to move into their own tenancies.  It was believed that this number of properties was adequate at the present time as not all the children would want to live independently.

·                In terms of the Pupil Premium Plus, the Virtual School would be responsible for managing the connection between the schools and the Local Authority.  The Virtual School was aware of where all the Looked After Children were, and therefore, was aware of where the Pupil Premium Plus was directed.  Any challenge in terms of use of the Pupil Premium Plus for Looked After Children could be made through the six-monthly review and monitoring of each school.

7.5

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)  notes the progress made in terms of the City’s Looked After Children and Care Leavers, the proposed publication of the 2014 Looked After and Adopted Children Strategy, and the responses to the questions raised; and

(b)  requests the Policy and Improvement Officer to circulate (i) the handbook on Looked After Children and (ii) details on how regularly the Looked After Children and/or their schools were contacted by the Virtual School, in order to check how they were getting on in their respective schools, to Members of the Committee.