Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Mrs. V. Kenny (Roman Catholic Church Representative), Mrs. K. Hill (Parent Governor Member – Dinefwr Area) and Mrs. A. Pickles (Parent Governor Member – Carmarthen Area).

There were no declarations of personal interest.

There were no declarations of party whips.

No public questions were received.

The Committee considered a Corporate Parenting Annual Update Report, which provided information on Corporate Parenting, unaccompanied asylum seeking children and fostering services. The report outlined the successful outcomes that had been achieved, the challenges of retaining foster carers and having sufficient staff and resources to meet the increasing demands of care leavers.

Officers highlighted that Corporate Parenting included young people leaving care aged between 16 and 25 years old. The Committee heard from two care leavers about their experiences and the support that they had been provided with. Members were informed that the Council offered traineeships to care leavers, which provided them with an opportunity to develop their skills. Members noted that there were positive comments about how they had been supported and recognised the work undertaken by the Service. The Committee thanked the care leavers for the useful insight they had provided and noted that it was a beneficial for the Committee to hear directly from those receiving such services.

Officers explained that the Local Authority had a Corporate Parenting Strategy that outlined the measures it would take to ensure that outcomes for looked after children and care leavers were positive. The number of looked after children had consistently declined since 2011, with the current number being 210. It was noted that the majority of looked after children were educated in mainstream education with only 11 children accessing alternative education provision. It was highlighted that Carmarthenshire was doing well in comparison to the Welsh average in regards to school attainment of looked after pupils and schools were provided with support from the Corporate Parenting Team.

The Corporate Parenting Services provided access to theraplay, counselling and therapeutic interventions for looked after children and their carers. It was highlighted that the services supported a third of the County’s looked after children and such services were important to address their emotional health. It was noted that the Hywel Dda Health Board’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) had only seen 3 looked after children in the last year.

Officers reported that the projected number of care leavers would increase over the next few years due to changes in legislation and it would take some time for the numbers to decrease. It was highlighted that the Leaving Care Team provide a range of training opportunities and support for care leavers and planned to continue to reduce the number of care leavers Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs). However, Carmarthenshire was below the Welsh average for care leavers who were NEETs. The Committee requested that comparison figures against other local authorities and national averages to be included in future reports.

Ensuring care leavers live in appropriate accommodation was recognised as a challenge moving forward, especially with the requirements of the ‘When I am Ready Scheme’, which allowed care leavers to remain with their foster families for longer. It was noted that this was a positive scheme, however, there was no additional funding support from the Welsh Government. It also prevented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

UNANIMOUSLYRESOLVED that the explanation for the non-submission for Behaviour Services Review be noted.

Reference was made to minute 7 (Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report 2016/17) and specifically the seventh paragraph of the issues discussed in relation to the re-organisation of primary provision in the Ammanford town area and it was pointed out that that it should include the statement that “it was noted that £19 million pounds had been set aside for this project”.

RESOLVED that, subject to the inclusion of the above-mentioned amendment, the minutes of the meeting held on the 15^th March, 2017 be signed as a correct record.

Prior to closing the meeting, the Chair and members of the Committee acknowledged the excellent work undertaken on behalf of the Committee by Matthew Hughes, the former Democratic Services Officer. It was requested that a letter of thanks was sent to him on behalf of the Committee and to wish him well in his new post.