Issue - meetings

This report sets out the work undertaken by the IRO service in relation to the scrutiny and challenge of Care Planning and Service Performance.

The Deputy Head of CYP Safeguarding and Quality Assurance introduced this report. She explained that the B&NES IRO Service operates within the context of B&NES Council as ‘Corporate Parent’ for all of the children and young people in its care.

She stated that placement stability is strongly correlated to the progress that children and young people make in care, as compound moves can negatively impact on a young persons sense of worth, emotional resilience and is disruptive to developing friendship and support networks and educational achievement. Therefore a key role of the IRO is to support placement stability through scrutiny of placement plans.  The service raised the concern in the last financial year that there had been an increase in placement breakdowns and multiple moves.  She said that she was pleased to report that the actions undertaken appears to be showing signs that this issue is being addressed through a fall in placement moves.

She said that it is important to note that 93% of children over the age of four took part in their Child in Care review and that 100% of them felt that they were being listened to.

She informed the Panel that although the timeliness of reviews has decreased it remains above the target figure of 87%.  This is in part due to a high increase in children accommodated during the end of Q.3 and beginning of Q.4, which coincided with a change in staffing arrangements.  Due to the high pressure of increased numbers of children in care and the complexity of our children’s circumstances, this has been a real achievement for the team to ensure so many reviews are held within timescales.

She explained that an Audit of IRO Challenge has been carried out and amongst its findings it was identified that there is an issue in relation to suitable placements for the most complex young people.

She said that the IRO team plan for 2018/2019 identifies a number of key development areas:

·  Continue to use the feedback from children, parents and foster carers to change and influence practice.

·  Further develop risk assessment framework to inform care planning.

·  Continue to focus on improving the quality of needs assessments informing pathway planning for post 16’s.

·  Key audit to understand the rise in request for therapeutic intervention/ support.

·  Implement the recommendation from the placement stability audit.

·  Seek Assurance that improvements in Care Plans are embedded consistently across the service.

·  Development of service for Unaccompanied Asylum seeking Children and Trafficked Children.

·  Support and facilitate Children’s requests for who attends their review.

Kevin Burnett asked if the recommendations within the annual report dovetailed with other work across the Council.

The Deputy Head of CYP Safeguarding and Quality Assurance replied that it does.

The Director for Safeguarding & Quality Assurance added that the Service Improvement Board shares information across the Service and that the LSCB also receives the annual report.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if any further comment could made regarding the figure that 10 out of the 23  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24