Agenda and minutes

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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 informed all present that the meeting would be streamed on the Council’s website.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sarah James and Felicia Opoku.

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 8 below.

There was no urgent business.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2021.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2021 be agreed as an accurate record.

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.

The Senior Performance Officer introduced the report which provided 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.

In response to questions from the Committee, it was noted that:

-       23% of children in care had Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). The Committee also requested that the next update included the number of children in care who were waiting for an EHCP assessment.

-       It was explained that there was no fixed definition for ‘suitable accommodation’ but that the definitions for statutory returns included some examples could be circulated to the Committee.

-       In response to a question about those who ceased to be children looked after as they moved into independent living, the Head of Young Adult Service noted that these 18 young people had moved into their permanent accommodations with Homes for Haringey or Housing Associations. It was explained that there were 61 beds allocated annually for care leavers. It was noted that there were six 2 bed properties per year to accommodate a number of parents and to prevent overcrowding. It was confirmed that this allocation had been reached in this year, and in every year since it had been introduced.

-       In response to a question about furnishing homes, it was noted that care leavers were able to access a leaving care grant, called a Setting Up Home Grant, of up to £2,000. The Head of Young Adult Service explained that it was often difficult to fully furnish homes with this grant, particularly given recent and significant increases in flooring costs. It was added that it was possible for people to access the grant early, if it was assessed to be appropriate, in order to provide items that would help with transitioning into independent living.

-       The Head of Young Adult Service explained that there was also a programme for young people to prepare for independent living which was delivered from one of the flats, known as ‘The Money House’. This was a week-long programme which explained issues such as budgeting, how to check meters, and how to undertake some basic household tasks. There was also a partnership with Metrobank, who offered bank accounts and money management support, a Life Skills Accredited Scheme, where young people got certificates for every section completed, and Mental Health First Aiding with Mind, which helped young people to navigate mental health and identify when to seek support. It was highlighted that the programme was staged as much as possible based on the individual young people. The Committee noted that it would be beneficial to visit The Money House and that this could be organised outside of the meeting.

-       It was noted that the current cost of living crisis had significantly affected care leavers, a number of whom had lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Committee asked for a more detailed update on the costs and changing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the the outcome of the HMIP Thematic Inspection into “The experiences of black and mixed heritage boys in the youth justice system”

The Head of Young Adult Service introduced the report which informed the Committee about the outcome of the HMIP Thematic Inspection into “The experiences of black and mixed heritage boys in the youth justice system” April – June 2021. Haringey was one of 9 local authorities that were selected to take part in the thematic inspection. The findings and recommendations of the inspection are general and not specific to Haringey. It was noted that the inspection had found that there were significant deficits in experience for Black and mixed heritage boys in the Youth Justice System who were more likely to have multiple adverse childhood experiences, Special Educational Needs and mental health difficulties, high rates of exclusion from school, exploitation, racial discrimination, and economic deprivation.

It was explained that the report had identified Haringey as a case study and that some positive feedback had been received. It was noted that the report had found some good examples of partnership work and projects, such as the Red Snapper project, which helped to tackle mental health stigmas, the music offer, which included a partnership with Sony Music who offered internships and mentoring, and the Ether programme, which aimed to tackle stereotypes, break barriers, and address perceptions of masculinity. 

It was highlighted that the HMIP report had offered 18 recommendations. The recommendations for local authorities focused on providing suitable and timely accommodation placements, to ensure that legal entitlements to education were being provided, and that placements were suitable to meet needs. In relation to the Youth Offending Service partnership boards, it was recommended that there was a vision and strategy for improving outcomes which was understood by staff, that board members provided data from service areas to identify areas of disproportionality and actions taken to address these, and to develop targets and monitoring arrangements for the partnership. It was also recommended that Youth Offending Services Managers were asked to establish effective feedback processes, to ensure that staff understood the issues for Black and mixed heritage boys, to improve the quality of management oversight, to address gaps in specialist provision, and to offer suitable support and intervention.

The Head of Young Adult Service provided an update on progress for the recommendations. It was explained that a new Quality Assurance (QA) tool had been introduced to increase management oversight and ensure that diversity and structural barriers were being addressed. A workshop on fathers had been delivered and there was now increased focus on capturing the voice of fathers. In the October half term, a workshop was delivered around the rights and responsibilities in relation to stop and search and the impact of this on young people. It was added that stop and search was now being recorded as a significant event for planning and intervention purposes.

In response to questions from the Committee, it was noted that:

-       There were 19 young people in Haringey who were looked after (this included those who automatically because looked after because they are remanded) and were in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Voice of the Child Guidance for practitioners in CYPS is presented to Members of CPAC for information so they can be assured of the focus of this issue for staff.

The Principal Social Worker introduced the report which presented the Voice of the Child Guidance for practitioners for information so that the Committee could be assured of the focus of this issue for staff. It was noted that the Children Act 1989 stated that the voice of the child should be paramount. It was explained that the Practice Guidance had been written to assist practitioners in capturing the voice of the child in planning, decision making, and service delivery.

It was highlighted that Aspire was involved in the recruitment of senior managers in Children’s Services, the training of newly qualified social workers, consultations, policy developments, new periodic surveys in Children’s Services, the child centred review process, and the Fostering Panel’s recent work on creating a ‘what makes a good foster carer’ crib sheet.

In terms of the next steps, it was noted that the recruitment was underway for a practitioner who would be setting up a Shadow Children’s Board, where each partnership would have a young person working alongside them to provide views and develop processes. An apprentice Children’s Engagement and Participation Officer was also being recruited and this role would be ringfenced for someone who was care experienced. It was also aimed to include Aspire in the recruitment of other, less senior posts and a training package with input from Aspire was being developed to inform new staff about how it feels to be a child in care. It was added that the HALO code, which clearly stated respect for the right to embrace Afro-hairstyles, was being implemented in foster homes. In addition, work was underway with the Children With Disabilities Service to form a group for children and young people with Learning Disabilities.

In response to questions from the Committee, it was noted that:

-       The Committee commented that significant work had been done to ensure that the voices of young people were heard. The Committee was particularly impressed with the introduction of a ringfenced apprenticeship for an individual with care experience and it was hoped that actions like this could be rolled out to other services as it would actively combat workplace discrimination. The Director of Children’s Services noted that this comment sought to ensure that all considerations were taken into account but it was agreed that this wording should be amended to be clear that the voice of the child was paramount. The Principal Social Worker added that there would be training sessions on the Practice Guidance for the entire workforce to ensure that it was fully embedded and correctly used.

-       In relation to ensuring that the voice of the child was heard, the Head of ESQA (Safeguarding and Social Care) noted that Children’s Services was also involved in a pilot scheme called Kit Bag which distributed toolkits to practitioners to encourage more creative methods of communication with children. It was also noted that virtual working had meant that practitioners were thinking of more creative methods to ensure that the voice of the child was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

This is the Annual Report of the Fostering Service from April 2020 to March 2021 which evaluates the service provisions, key objectives and priorities for future developments

The Head of Service for Children in Care introduced the report which presented the Annual Report of the Fostering Service from April 2020 to March 2021 and evaluated the service provisions, key objectives and priorities for future developments.

In response to questions from the Committee, it was noted that:

-       It was confirmed that detailed ethnicity and cultural data was collected for looked after children and this was stored in the Council’s system, Mosaic. It was noted that care experience and mental health were often not collected as part of wider Council and partnership data and it was suggested that it might be useful to suggest this to Public Health colleagues for future Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs).

-       It was noted that there had been significant increases to the cost of living and it was enquired whether foster carers in Haringey should be paid more. The Head of Service for Children in Care noted that foster carers in Haringey were paid less than neighbouring boroughs and that the Council was in the process of trying to bring the remuneration level in line with neighbouring boroughs.

-       It was noted that the service had launched the Mockingbird Project in February 2021 which consisted of one hub carer supporting eight satellite carers and allowed carers to support each other. It was explained that the project would run for at least 12 months before a formal report was brought to the Committee but that it was considered to be a success and there had been no placement breakdowns.

-       In relation to a question about the ethnicity and backgrounds of foster carers, it was noted that the service was mindful and sensitive to issues of diversity in their recruitment processes for foster carers. Part of the recruitment strategy involved reaching out to underrepresented groups to encourage wider participation. This strategy had proven successful as enquiry rates from these communities had increased.

-       The data suggested that more older children and young people were being fostered. It was explained that this included children who were growing up and new children who were entering care in Haringey. It was noted that it could be challenging to sustain stability in older age ranges and that the recruitment and training of foster carers took this into account. It was explained that the service was investigating more innovative approaches, such as the Mockingbird project and recruitment work with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

-       It was acknowledged that it would be important for the Committee to consider the cohorts and ages of children coming into the care service to ensure that the services provided were supporting them appropriately.

There was no other business.

17 March 2022