Agenda item

A report of The National Pledge, Croydon Commitment to Children in Care and the Local Offer for Care Leavers is attached.

The Head of Early Help and Youth Service spoke to the report and addressed Members that the service was planning to refresh the care leavers pledge by presenting to the Panel the first draft.

Officers informed that financially the leaving care policy was to be finalised by the end of the month to reform the local offer and take to Cabinet with a proposed budget requirement.

Officers aimed to adopt the national pledge providing a new commitment to looked after children and to refresh the local offer. There were ten points in the Pledge, twelve commitments to looked after children and also a refreshed local offer.

The care leaver representative made a comment highlighting from the information provided in the report that there were no detail on resource or limitation, and was also concerned that social housing would be entitled to fifteen leaving care children tenants a year which was a low number. Officers noted that there was more detail in what the service had to offer.

EMPIRE made a comment addressing that young people who went into care should be provided with the pledge so they understood their entitlements, for this would refrain any problems within the care home.

A member from EMPIRE highlighted her experience of a promise being breached as she was affected so much, she had to retake exams due to housing situations. She addressed that young people took promises very seriously especially coming from a traumatic background, and what the local authority decided what was suitable and affordable, was perceived different to a young person.

The Chair made note that a housing representative was not present on the Panel, and welcomed a representative in future meetings to comment on concerns raised related to housing and to provide their expertise.

Concerns were raised by the Panel around whether the pledge could be delivered as succinct as it looked on paper, and recommended for a shorter pledge to deliver what could be achieved.

Officers noted on the budget and the proposal to Cabinet as the service revisited their financial needs to process how they would better support young people.

EMPIRE raised questions relating to how the service could reassure that promises were adhered to within the pledge, and officers noted the difficulties in maintaining standards and addressed that the pledge was provided to hold the service accountable for things that had not been deemed right. EMPIRE noted that they had been involved in the twelve points within the pledge, and emphasised the point around housing that the local authority had a responsibility to a child in care to establish their living arrangements.

The Chair summarised a testimony previously heard at the Panel in the last two years of the impact other young children had relating to house viewings with little to no support. This pledge had derived from testimonies as such, and there should be standards to a suitable housing.

A member of EMPIRE shared their testimony around receiving support as a child in care and verified the testimony shared from the care leaver representative, as they highlighted that the service was not only putting children at risk, but also to foster carers as they often receive blame. They continued to address that young people wanted a little more than the basics in accommodation, which should be reviewed by the housing team themselves. Officers shared that it was difficult to deliver such request as social housing was expensive within the borough. Panel Members commented on the pledge and its capacity to help build a social life for young people in touching base with their family and friends and having basic skills to live alone, with the same principle as the pathway plan, young people needed support and services needed to find a better way to deliver this and be more ambitious for the young people.

EMPIRE members continued to ask questions around how and who young people could turn to if the pledge was not being adhered to, and officers sited the importance of wanting the pledge to aspire to young people, and in setting the standards, the onus was on the service and the wider team to set themselves the challenge to work towards.

The Chair recommended for the pledge to not be too restrictive, ensuring it was broad enough for each young person to have their individuality but fitted enough for a better life for them. It was important that the young people believed in the services provided.

EMPIRE members further added that young children who were in care in Croydon and had left the borough, received no after care from the service, and they are often felt forgotten, and unless the young person returns to Croydon there was no support for them; and asked why was there no a similar offer to young people out of borough, and officers emphasised on the pressure personal advisers had whose role was to redirect care leavers to access support. Officers encouraged the young children to talk to their social worker and their managers, and other bodies such as Coram Voice. Officers further informed that the children’s services and leaving care services remained the same in supporting children out of borough. The service looked to see what opportunities there was locally to them rather than within Croydon. It was the   responsibility of the service to see that this was followed through, as services continued to want the best for the children in Croydon.

The Panel reflected on the historical care system which was bad and resulted in the service receiving a fail by Ofsted in 2017. Officers ensured that over the years the service had made a refreshed commitment that children’s voices were listened, and that services across partners provided support to young people, in confidence that the children currently in care received a better experience.

Officers mentioned the deep dive relating to housing for care leavers aged 16-25. There was a lot of attraction on this to better understand the housing in place, and there was to be a plan formulated following results. Housing and Homelessness was a recommendation that had come from Ofsted inspections.  Panel Members commented that safety should be paramount in placing young children in accommodation and that recourse to complain and do more should be provided to young children should the criteria not be met.

Further comments expressed concern on the culture of providing less standards to care leavers as visitation of housing before allocation does not appear to be happening, and lack of communication with partners causing problem as departments protect their budgets. There should be better ambition to the children in Croydon. There was a recognition in the shortage of affordable housing specifically for care leavers. The Panel recognised the ambition from all services, and discussed the affect around housing issues effecting wellbeing, mental health and other matters.

ACTION – To have a housing representative attend Panel meetings.