Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from five representatives of the Living in Care Council about being in care, which included two short films created by children looked after that expressed their feelings and experiences about being in care and starting a new school and would be used to support other young people on their journey into care. Members were also provided with a pack of detailed information about the Living in Care Council, which was open to young people aged 12-18 years who met regularly to consider issues impacting children looked after. The Living in Care Council had completed a number of key projects in recent years including developing the Bromley Pledge, and creating welcome packs and short films to help children looked after understand their situation and where they could access support.
In discussion with the representatives of the Living in Care Council, the Chairman explained that the role of Corporate Parents was to support children looked after to make the progress needed to achieve their potential, and that it was important for all Corporate Parents to recognise that children looked after were their priority. The representatives of the Living in Care Council explained that whilst they had good relationships with most of the people who made decisions in their best interests, such as their foster carers and social workers, they did not have any relationship with their Corporate Parents. The Vice-Chairman reported that work was underway to identify different ways that Corporate Parents could engage with children looked after. This included a possible voluntary programme where children looked after could communicate with a specific Councillor and share their thoughts about their life experiences. The Chairman suggested that the Living in Care Council consider the issue of how Corporate Parents could better engage with children looked after, and also how communication between children looked after and the Living in Care Council could be built on, such as through an online forum.
The Chairman noted that there was an annual review of foster care placements which helped ensure that children looked after were in the right placement for them, and that children looked after were also able to voice any concerns about their placement with their social worker. Concern was raised by the representatives of the Living in Care Council around the high number of agency social workers who were less able to provide continuity of support needed by children looked after over a sustained period. All the representatives of the Living in Care Council had experienced changes in their social worker during their time in care. The Portfolio Holder for Care Services confirmed that this had been identified as an issue and that work was ongoing to increase the number of permanent social workers in Children’s Social Care teams.
The Chairman led Members in thanking Jordan, Elliott, Lola, Millie and Taylar for their excellent presentation and the work of the Living in Care Council.
In continuing the discussion, a Member underlined the expectation that all Councillors should have a full understanding of the roles and responsibilities of Corporate Parents, and that in-depth consideration needed be given to how the role of Corporate Parents could be developed. Another Member highlighted the need to communicate that all Councillors had equal responsibility as Corporate Parents regardless of their committee memberships, and should bear in mind the impact on vulnerable adults and children in all decision making. The Chairman emphasised that all Councillors should attend Corporate Parenting training and requested that a list of training dates and Member attendance be appended to the Matters Arising report for future meetings.
RESOLVED that:
1) The presentation be noted; and,
2) All Members of the Council be recommended to attend Corporate Parent Training and that additional training sessions be made available in early 2017 to accommodate this.