Issue - meetings

Cabinet are asked to approve the Council's Corporate Parenting Strategy setting out how it will act as a good corporate parent and promote good outcomes for children and young people in and moving on from care

Councillor Anthony Clarke expressed his support for the proposals but cautioned Cabinet to avoid the centrally driven pressure to put more children into care.  He supported the improvement of support offered during the transition between care and adult life.

Councillor Dine Romero in proposing the item noted the concerns expressed by Councillor Clarke.  She assured him that each child had a bespoke package of services, tailored to their needs.  An audit had shown that the authority has spent less on some areas of corporate parenting than many other authorities, yet has ensured that during the last 8 years not a single young person has needed to be taken back into care after adoption.

Councillor Tim Ball seconded the proposal.  He observed that he was a special guardian of 3 children but received no financial support from the authority.  He emphasised that no child should ever be raced into adoption – the arrangements must be what is right for the child.  It was a tragedy when a child having once been adopted had to be taken back into the system.

Councillor Paul Crossley said that the priority would always be to work with families.  He praised the leadership given by Ashley Ayre (Strategic Director – People).  He referred to paragraph 6 of the strategy, which dealt with the issues of moving on from care, in particular the fact that 55% of young people leaving care are in education, employment or training compared to 95% of the general population of the same age.  He stressed that this was an area which would need action to break the cycle.

On a motion from Councillor Dine Romero, seconded by Councillor Tim Ball, it was

RESOLVED (unanimously)

(1) To APPROVE the Corporate Parenting Strategy.