Agenda item

To receive a report  from the Executive Director of People – Children.

The Corporate Parenting Board considered a report by the Executive Director of People – Children on Children in Care Placement Sufficiency.

Officers mentioned the information in the report indicated the approach being taken by the Authority.  Dorset had a lot of children in care and far too many of them were sent outside of Dorset which was not good for them.  The Authority needed to improve the number of foster carers that were available for Dorset children, that related to how the Dorset Fostering Service was developed and how we worked with fostering agencies that operated within Dorset.  Officers were also looking at specialist schemes and short break schemes for disabled children.  The Harbour Scheme was a way of providing this.  Work was well underway to convert a building in Dorchester Road, Weymouth to become a children’s home.  Currently there were 60 children in residential care placed with external providers.

There were a number of providers who were in the grey area of providing unregistered care for children and wanted to move into becoming registered children’s home providers.

Officers were looking at a blended approach for disabled children and support for them as outlined within the report.  Supported housing in Kirtleton Avenue would provide a quality base for care leavers.

The contract arrangements and quality assurance had been strengthened with a Quality Assurance Officer starting in September who would address issues with providers.

One member referred to access to out of county placements an example being where some young people were placed in Somerset, access was quite easy as opposed to those placed further away in Blackpool where it was more difficult to gain access to them.  Officers explained the exploitation issues that surfaced in Rochdale were due to a lot of vulnerable people being housed in one place and that was why the Authority wanted to bring young people back into Dorset where they would be less vulnerable.

One member was very pleased to hear that another unit was going to be provided for young people in Weymouth but felt the Authority should think about providing a unit in the north of Dorset as it was unacceptable that so many young people were so far away from the county.

The Executive Director of People – Children commented she had inherited 62 children in residential care which was far too many and would like the number to be nearer 25.  Things would change but not overnight.

Officers confirmed they were looking at permanency planning and getting those young people who were placed out of Dorset back into Dorset.

Members liked the progress made so far but thought one aim should be that  unregistered accommodation should not be used at all for Dorset children and young people.  It was asked who decided that independent agencies and unregistered provision could move into Dorset to provide registered accommodation as this would require agreement from Ofsted.  Officers confirmed that was the approach being adopted and it was seen as compliance rather than an aim.  Officers had extensive conversations with Ofsted regarding the registration of accommodation and Ofsted were working the Authority on acceleration of approval for Dorset’s applications.

One member confirmed that a positive statement was required that Dorset would not and did not sanction using unregistered providers.

Noted