Presentation to Children’s Partnership Board 17 th July 2012 by Jill Forrest Head of Family Placements and Resources Slough Looked After Children, Young People and Care Leavers Strategy

Slough’s Vision Slough Borough Council and Partners are committed to ensuring all children in Slough have the best possible start in life and that they are able to access a wide range of services for them and their families. We are determined to ensure all services for Children and Young People in Care, and Care Leavers, are of a high standard; enabling them to reach their full potential. Our commitment is set out in Slough’s Pledge to Children in Care published November 2009

Why do we need a Children’s Parnership Strategy for Children Looked After and Care Leavers? Meeting the needs of children and young people who are looked after and care leavers is complex It involves all the agencies and provisions available to all children and young people plus a range of specialist services specific to their individual and collective needs Getting it right for children and young people is rewarding and worthwhile Getting it wrong for children and young people can be very expensive both in financial and in human costs Planning together for the future is essential It is therefore also a requirement of the Improvement Plan

Our shared responsibilities as corporate parents As a Children’s Partnership we have to: Provide somewhere safe and welcoming to live With interested adults to nurture them and have fun with Make sure they have education and the opportunity to achieve Ensure that they have regular physical health checks and any treatment they need Offer them support and therapy to help them overcome the emotional impact of past abuse and separation Celebrate and share their achievements Support them into adult life and independence and do all the other things a good parent does

Legal Framework

Why do children and young people come into care? Safeguarding concerns – protection Police protection, Emergency Protection Order or Care proceedings Remand into Care or Welfare Remand Parents unable to care for them Section 20 Accomodation with parental agreement Section 20 at Young Person’s request No parents available Unaccompanied under 18 asylum seekers Abandoned Child

How do children and young people leave care? –Return to primary parent when safe –Going to live permanently with another parent –Permanent forever family through a friend or extended family adult getting Parental Responsibility through Adoption, Special Guardianship Order or Residence Order. –New forever family through Adoption. –New forever family for older children for medium term fostering with the view to Special Guardianship Order within 2 years –By turning 18 years old

The consequences of lack of strategic planning The numbers of LAC in Slough over last 5 years steadily rising

The consequences of lack of strategic planning

The consequences of lack of strategic planning Increased call on: Family group conferences Supervised Contact Education and Wellbeing Team East Berkshire LAC Health Team Designated teacher time Social work time CAMHS Independent Reviewing Officers Court fees and Legal costs Management time Housing provision

This strategy is based on 3 key themes Reduce the need for children and young people to become looked after whilst still safeguarding those who need it Give Children and Young people the best of everything while they are in care and support care leavers Reduce the length of time children need to be looked after by increasing the number of them who can leave care safely

FPS Gold Project Refunding of 3 FPS Social Work posts April 2011 Cabinet Approval £826k FPS Gold Project October 2011 to run to end March 2013 Marketing campaign began October 2011 Project staff integrated into the Core Family Placement Service from November 2011 Recruitment of foster carers and forever families has already increased significantly Planning the strategy post March 2013 has begun

New Forever Families for our children % of Children Looked After for at least 6 months who have been Adopted or made subject to a Special Guardianship Order

Early outcomes of FPS Gold Project in stabilising numbers of looked after children.

Participation and engagement of children and young people in care Designed by members of our Children in Care Council Our children and young people in care take part in various consultations and activities to ensure they are involved in decisions that are made about them as individual children and also as our population of children in care.. The Children in Care Council have designed their own logo which can be used with consent to signify their involvement.The CICC have consented to it’s use on this strategy