Agenda and minutes

Please note this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method.  Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting.  Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting.

Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee Minutes HELD on the 17 October from 19:25 – 21:15pm, Woodbury Room, George Meehan House.

Attendees

• Cllr Brabazon – Chair of the Corporate Parental Advisory Committee.
• Cllr Collett.
• Cllr Ali (arrived 7:35pm).
• Cllr Opoku attended online.

Officers

• Jackie Difolco – Assistant Director for Early Help and Prevention.
• Dionne Thomas – Assistant Director of Safeguarding and Social Services.
• Lynn Carrington – Designated Nurse.
• Richard Hutton – Senior Performance Officer.
• Nazim Hussain - IRO Service Manager.
• Emma Cummergen – Head of Young Adults Services.
• Dr Paul Sender – Designated Doctor.
• Dr Hajera Sheikh – Designated Doctor.
• Hayley Cook  - Principal Social Worker.
• EgheleEyituoyo – Head of Virtual School.
• Sandy Bansil – Service Manager for Safeguarding and Social Care.
• Keith Warren – Head of Children in Care and Placements.

1-    Filming

The Chair ran through the requirements, and it was noted by all attendees.

2-    Apologies

 Cllr Johnson, Cllr Weston, Cllr Isilar-Gosling, Cllr Das Neves.

3-    Urgent Business

No items of urgent business.

4-    Declarations of interest

None.

5-    Minutes

The Assistant Director for Early Help and Prevention was mistakenly recorded as absent in previous minutes. The minutes of the previous meeting would be amended and approved but at this point the meeting was not quorate.

Minutes to be approved at next meeting. ACTION

6-    Performance Management

The Senior Performance Officer ran through the report.

The main points are summarised below.

·         There were 334 Children in Care at the end of the first quarter. This was the same number as June.

·         There were 26 Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers (UAS), this figure increased slightly but the Senior Performance Officer commented the figure was steady overall.

·         The ‘Children Coming into Care Aged Three and Under’ category was at 42. The Senior Performance Officer commented that this was slightly up on March, but down on levels in 2022-23.

·         The number of ‘Families Under Acute Stress’ as a reason for coming into care had fallen to 6% this year. However, the numbers for ‘Abuse and Neglect’ as a reason for coming into care were much higher at 60%.

·         As of September, 77% of Looked After Children under 16 had an up-to-date care plan.

·         Of the 116 Children in Care aged 16 and 17 years, 67% had an up-to-date pathway plan.

·         The number of Personal Education Plans (PEP) that were up to date was 95%

·         Eight percent  of children had three or more moves with the past two years. The Senior Performance Officer explained that this was down on the previous period which had the category at 10%.

·         Children under 16 who had been in care for at least 2.5 years and were in the same placement for at least two years was now at 57%.

·         The number of up-to-date health visits was 94% and the number of those in care with up-to-date dental visits was 79 %. The Senior Performance Officer commented that this was below expected figures.

·         All care leavers under 21 have an allocated personal advisor. Ninety five  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

An update on the Adopt North London initiative.

Report on the ongoing work and actions to enable care leavers to be considered a protected characteristic.

A verbal report from the Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Social Care regarding the changing landscape of children’s care - to include an update on policy direction.