Agenda item

Louise Drury, Head of Service Children in Care and Leaving Care, to report.

The paper sets out plans to increase our capacity to care for and support our care leavers and unaccompanied minors and outline the policy change that is required to do so. To respond effectively to the needs of our young people we are proposing to do the following:

·       Develop an operating model for unaccompanied minors that uses capacity in good or outstanding boarding schools to provide education and term time accommodation and uses school communities to host unaccompanied minors in school holidays as ‘connected persons.

·       Seek easement of specific regulations and guidance.

·       Create a Head of Service to provide dedicated leadership to a specialised service for care leavers and unaccompanied minors alongside the Resettlement Team.

·       Create the role of Senior Personal Adviser within the Leaving Care Service to champion key areas of service delivery for young people and offer a career pathway within the team.

Recommendation that the board supports policy change and service development. This is in response to local and national context.

Areas of clarification raised by Councillors:

·       Are we confident we can stick to budget regarding Staying Close funding?

·       Cost of private education compared to a placed care setting

·       Would the children stay in school during all school holidays?

·       Will our current Children in Care be given the opportunity to use an independent school as an intervention?

·       Need to be assured children with troubled backgrounds are doing well, the safeguards are there, and the checks are good

Are we confident we can stick to budget?

The Staying Close grant is awarded for 3 years and it's more of a challenge to make sure we spend the money. It will be a challenge for some providers to have the determination to stay close. We will also give people a route back in if they disengage temporarily.

Cost of private education compared to a placed care setting

This new way will be more cost effective, and we will be looking to the Department for Education for more support with this. The current model is not cost effective. Hopefully within next few months – we need approval from Ofsted, the Home Office, and Department for Education. Dorset Council are ready to go as soon as we hear. We have already identified cost pressures for next year.

Would the children stay in school during all school holidays?

We are looking for young people to stay with a host family potentially from within the school community on weekends and in the holidays. Not remaining within the school environment, the whole time.

Will our current Children in Care be given the opportunity to use an independent school as an intervention?

There is a national scheme around Children in Care and private schools. It takes a long time for them to access them. Among our Children in Care, we have those with great talents – these could be developed within a stable family environment.

Need to be assured children with troubled backgrounds are doing well, the safeguards are there, and the checks are good.

We will pay real attention to ensure the right children are matched. Need to welcome young people at the earliest age. Having proactive conversations with the Home Office and improving those outcomes.

Recommendation – the board supports this policy change

Decision: Proposed by Cllr Kirby, seconded by Cllr Stella Jones to approve.