Issue - meetings

To provide an update on Children in Care missing from placements.

The Committee received a report advising of the publication of new DCSF statutory guidance on reducing risk and harm to children who run away or go missing from home or care, to support authorities in meeting National Indicator 71 – missing from home and care. An action plan had subsequently been developed at the lead of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) to implement changes required, centred around developing more effective interagency working including in respect to early intervention, the development of new protocols and improved data collection. It was confirmed that data collection would play a pivotal role in identifying patterns and mapping episodes of runaways to inform service provision.

Confirmation was provided that a recent self-assessment submitted to the DCSF in relation to children missing from home or care had rated Haringey as achieving a score of 3 out of 4, an improvement on previous performance stock takes.

Committee members questioned whether information was routinely provided to CiC containing important information such as contact numbers for emergency helplines etc for use in a crisis situation. Members were advised that although such information was contained within the Leaving Care Handbook and provided in leaflets sent to foster carers, the emphasis remained on early intervention e.g. advocacy. The Committee requested that the feasibility of providing a small credit card size information booklet containing key information for CiC be investigated.

RESOLVED:

·      That the DCSF statutory guidance on children who run away and go missing from home or care 2009 be circulated to Committee members.

·      That the mechanism for reporting data collected on missing CiC to Members be explicitly set out in the action plan, centred on monthly provision to the Lead Member for Children and Young People and reporting to the Committee on a frequent basis.