Agenda and draft 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.

The Chair referred to the filming of meetings and this information was noted.

Apologies have been received from Councillor Collett.

The Chair will consider the admission of late items of urgent business. Late items will be considered under the agenda item they appear. New items will be dealt with at item 10 below.

There were none.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2022.

RESOLVED: Thatminutes of the meeting of 3 October 2022 be agreed as a correct record.

CAMHS would be invited to a future meeting.

Ms Lynn Carrington, Designated Nurse, stated that a new named doctor had started in December and a new designated doctor would also be starting as well, but no start date had yet been defined. The team had been subject to higher levels of sick leave than usual resulting in backlog. There was optimism that the target would be reached by the end of March 2023.

A regular report would be submitted to the Committee as part of a standing item for the aspects of services including the Designated Doctor, Designated Children in Care Health Team. The new named and the new designated doctors would be invited to attend meetings.

The Committee would be provided with feedback of young people’s experiences of CAMHS. 

This report provides an analysis of the performance data and trends for an agreed set of measures relating to looked after children on behalf of the Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee.

Mr Richard Hutton, Senior Performance Officer presented the report. Members queried the report throughout the presentation. The Committee heard that:

·      The unaccompanied asylum seekers that near the age of 18 would have continued support under care leavers rights. There were some that lost confidence when there were delays from a response from the Home Office. The average age range of new arrivals were usually from 15-16 years of age. 

·      It would be useful for the Committee to have a brief report about the overview and progress of pathway plans. It would also be useful for the Committee to see a pathway plan.

·      There was a challenge regarding the cohort that did not live in the local authority or came to care late.  Social workers would have to put in concentrated effort to document the aspirations of young people when they had been limited involvement with services.

·      Suggestions regarding using digital technology for automated dictation or transcription.

·      Haringey was a large consumer of the Regional Adoption Agency.  Generally speaking, older children are  more challenging to adopt along with larger sibling groups.  Work was done with adoptive parents who had previously adopted children from the same biological family to maintain their sibling relationships.

·      There were no children in care due to families suffering as a direct result of the cost-of-living crises.

·      The borough had good systems regarding how families were supported. For example, there had not been complaints from Ukraine families or families with NRPF. Officers worked hard to link officers into the right services.

·      More information about the situation of the young people such as young people, living out of borough and in different types of accommodation would provide more detail and context for councillors. This may be a separate report to be agreed for CPAC champion.

·      Semi-independent units would be regulated. The Committee requested that a briefing be provided to the Committee regarding the implications regarding the requirements around accommodation regulation.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To consider a verbal update on the Corporate Parenting Strategy.  

Ms Beverley Hendricks, Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Social Care, presented the item.

The Committee heard that:

·      It was likely that OFSTED would be visiting the borough, possibly before the summer. This strategy needed to be agreed and endorsed by members as part of the champions model.

·      Young people had influenced the development of the vision and strategy

·      It was important that the Council was recognised for its corporate innovative work rather than solely its progress on what social workers did on individual cases. 

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

To consider a verbal update on the Corporate Parenting Champions.

Ms Beverley Hendricks, Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Social Care  presented the item. The core training for Champions Model would be held on 23 February 2022.

The Committee heard that:

·           It was important for the Councillors engage and ask questions.

·           As part of the Care Leaver Covenant, councillors would work to design surveys that would be sent out to care leavers.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

To consider a verbal update on the Hersley Feedback.

Ms Beverley Hendricks, Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Social Care presented the item.

The Committee heard that:

·      A child with a complex care need could be someone who had learning difficulties, speech and language issues, diagnosed with a defined disability such as downs syndrome or be low functioning. 

·      The Council had its own Commissioning Assistant Director and had submitted a growth bid. The placement team had moved from Adults to Children Social Care. The commissioning programme for children and social care was still in development. The Safety Valve initiative would deliver a service change for children with an EHCP.

·      Strong commissioning and accountability was important for the Council to take seriously.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

Date of next meeting: 28 February 2023.

There was none.