Agenda item

[NOTE: Councillor S. Najmi had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Chair welcomed Tyler, Josh, Shannon, Jo-anna and Rhian to the meeting.

The Committee considered the Corporate Parenting Annual Report which provided details regarding how well the local authority is meeting its corporate parenting duties under the Social Services and Wellbeing Act. The report detailed outcomes for children looked after by the local authority up to the age of 25 and an update on progress against targets set in the Corporate Parenting Strategy.

The Service Manager (Corporate Parenting) gave an overview of the report and invited members to question the young people who were in attendance at the meeting.

The following questions/observations were raised:-

In answer to a question on the experiences of care leavers in relation to Personal Advisors (PAs), members were advised that they were significantly positive and provided one to one support across a broad range of areas. In sharing their experiences, the young people present spoke of the consistent support provided by PAs in relation to support with education, trying new activities and in preparation for leaving care. The young people advised that Social Workers did not provide as much support as PA’s were able to, as they often had many commitments.

Members were informed that support was made available for those in post 16 education within Carmarthenshire, however it was noted that support received for those attending other colleges was inconsistent. It was noted that the transition from school to college was a difficult time as the general support given within post 16 education at college was less that in schools.

Members asked whether the care leavers felt that they were being listened to, and what could be done to improve the services available to them. The young people advised that in the main they were listened to and were supported to attend LAC (Looked after Children) reviews, however as stated previously, allocated Social Workers change often and care leavers have to build another relationship and start the process building trust again.

Members acknowledged that leaving care posed significant change in a young person’s life (a local authority maintains a responsibility to support care leavers until they reach the age of 25) and asked what measures were in place to support young people through this transition. The Service Manager (Corporate Parenting) advised that the aim to provide care leavers with a council tenancy sometimes resulted in having to place care leavers in temporary accommodation for a significant amount of time. This was due in part to the lack of one bedroom accommodation available within the local authority housing stock. However, continued support was provided during the transition period, using the St Basil’s ‘Positive Pathway’ model. The authority was also investigating the possibility of shared housing.

Members asked for clarification on the support available in relation to mental health issues and were advised that those within the education system were able to access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services through school or college. However, those not in education, training or employment were unable to access these services in a similar way. This causes a delay in users being able to access support in a timely manner. It was also noted that more could be done to support care leavers experiencing depression and anxiety. The Head of Curriculum and Wellbeing advised that the he would feedback the comments made to the mental Health Strategic Group.

On behalf of the committee and officers present, the Vice Chair thanked Tyler, Josh, Shannon, Jo-anna and Rhian for their attendance at the meeting and for their honesty in responding to the questions of members.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Annual Report on Corporate Parenting Activity be received