Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: City Hall, Bradford

Contact: Sheila Farnhill 

Items
No. Item

14.

DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST

(Members Code of Conduct - Part 4A of the Constitution)

 

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

 

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

 

Notes:

 

(1)       Members may remain in the meeting and take part fully in discussion and voting unless the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an interest which the Member feels would call into question their compliance with the wider principles set out in the Code of Conduct.  Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

 

(2)       Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

 

(3)       Members are also welcome to disclose interests which are not disclosable pecuniary interests but which they consider should be made in the interest of clarity.

 

(4)       Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

 

                                                                        (Sheila Farnhill – 01274 432268)

Minutes:

No disclosures of interest in matters under consideration were received.

 

NO ACTION

15.

MINUTES

Recommended –

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2018 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

 

(Sheila Farnhill – 01274 432268)

Minutes:

Resolved –

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2018 be signed as a correct record.

 

ACTION:       City Solicitor

 

16.

INSPECTION OF REPORTS AND BACKGROUND PAPERS

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

 

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

 

(Sheila Farnhill - 01274 432268)

 

Minutes:

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.

 

NO ACTION

 

17.

THROUGH CARE SERVICE pdf icon PDF 215 KB

Previous reference: Minutes 7, 12 and 33 (2017/18)

 

The Deputy Director (Children's Social Care) will present a report from the Through Care Service, further to the report considered by the Panel at its meeting in March (Document “H”).

 

The report includes information on particular issues, as requested by Members, as follows:

 

·         Bradford’s Local Offer for Care Leavers.

·         An update on progress in relation to apprenticeships.

·         An update in relation to the national challenge from Ofsted regarding 16+ supported accommodation being a regulated care setting.

·         The impact on the Service’s resources as a result of the requirement, under the provisions of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, that a service is provided to care leavers up to the age of 25.

 

Member’s comments are sought  in respect of the Local Offer to Care Leavers 2018 (Appendix 1 to Document “H”).

 

Recommended –

 

That the report be noted.

 

                                                            (Emma Collingwood – 01274 437123)

Minutes:

Previous reference:Minutes 7, 12 and 33 (2017/18)

 

The Deputy Director (Children's Social Care) presented a report from the Through Care Service (TCS), further to the report considered by the Panel at its meeting in March 2018 (Document “H”).

 

The report included information on particular issues, as requested by Members, as follows:

 

·         Bradford’s Local Offer for Care Leavers.

·         An update on progress in relation to apprenticeships.

·         An update in relation to the national challenge from Ofsted regarding 16+ supported accommodation being a regulated care setting.

·         The impact on the Service’s resources as a result of the requirement, under the provisions of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, that a service is provided to care leavers up to the age of 25.

 

The Local Offer to Care Leavers 2018 was attached as Appendix 1 to Document “H” and Members’ comments were invited. It was noted that the format lent itself better to being read on screen than on paper. The principle behind this document was to empower young people to know their rights and entitlements and to hold the local authority to account. It was vital that care leavers felt like they were citizens of Bradford first and foremost.

 

Members’ questions were answered as follows:

 

·         A young person had the right to refuse a service from the local authority post 18 and some did so. It was possible for Housing Options to make a decision that someone was ‘deliberately homeless’ or that their duty had been discharged. Where it was possible to do so, the TCS would identify a young person to Housing Options as a care leaver but if the individual did not want to identify as such this could present a problem.

·         The Service would never want to turn a young person away and this was one of the reasons why the ‘crash pad’ facility was so important.

·         If a young person had said that they didn’t want a service post 18 but then changed their mind they could do so up to the age of 25.

·         The taster flat enabled young people to be independent whilst helping to keep them in care for as long as possible. There were also partnerships in place that could facilitate independent living as part of a group.

·         A high percentage of post 18s did return to the service for support.

·         ‘Suitable’ accommodation was specifically defined by the Department for Education (DfE). Being in custody, bed and breakfast accommodation or ‘sofa surfing’ was not classed as suitable. The TCS undertook a robust assessment of accommodation to ensure that it was of a suitable quality; this was very important as it was believed that poor accommodation contributed to poor behaviour.

·         The potential for a co-op model had been discussed with Housing Options and the TCS had a relationship with Intensive Housing Management who provided a brokerage service to match up landlords and social housing with young people and to aid integration. There could be a delay in finding the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

18.

COMPLAINTS - ANNUAL REPORT pdf icon PDF 243 KB

A report will be presented by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) (Document “I”) which summarises the issues raised by looked after children and young people who have used the statutory complaints procedures to seek redress for their concerns.  The report relates to the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018.

 

Members are asked to note the contents of Document “I” and to consider whether they wish to seek further information in respect of any of the issues raised.

 

(Irina Arcas – 01274 435269)

 

Minutes:

A report was presented by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) (Document “I”) which summarised the issues raised by looked after children and young people who had used the statutory complaints procedures to seek redress for their concerns.  The report related to the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018.

 

The Complaints Manager made a correction to paragraph 3.6 of the report in that it should refer to the LAC (Looked After Children) Team not the Leaving Care Service. She also explained that she considered the complaints process to be robust and that many issues were resolved at an early stage such as through the ‘moans and groans’ book in residential homes.

 

She responded to queries from Members with the following information:

 

·         The input of the Complaints Unit ended once the process had reached a conclusion and she did not therefore have any information in respect of the action taken in any case where fault may have been found with a member of staff. However, she could ask for information about whether complaints had led to disciplinary action being triggered for next year’s report. She explained that, due to the pressure on managers, it could be difficult to get feedback but she would continue to endeavour to do so.

·         Comparisons with other local authorities were undertaken and the Complaints Managers from across the Yorkshire and Humber region met on a quarterly basis. In comparison with another local authority, with a comparable number of LAC files, the numbers of complaints in Bradford was lower.

·         It was accepted that it was important to ensure that, as far as possible, young people were fully aware of the complaints process and had faith that it would address their concerns. The process had been made more straightforward and a lot of issues were resolved at pre-complaints stage and did not progress to the formal process.

 

The Deputy Director assured Members that any issues identified through the complaints process were followed up with the staff concerned. He explained that:

 

·         Lessons were learned from past experience and complaints. As an example; the Through Care Service had been established, in part, to respond to issues raised in the past in relation to the need for continuity and consistency in respect of staff/case workers.

·         One of the cases raised had already had a direct impact on practice.

·         The report due to be submitted to the Panel in early 2019 (in relation to Regulation 44 visits) would include information in relation to low level complaints.

·         It might be useful for the Panel to receive a report on the work of the Advocacy Service.

·         In every case, a complainant was offered an opportunity to meet with the relevant Service Manager.

 

Members commented that it was important that, if fault was identified, action was taken to ensure that the same thing did not happen again. In addition learning points should be taken from any good practice identified.

 

The additional detail provided within the confidential appendix to the report and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

19.

OUTCOMES FOR LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN pdf icon PDF 190 KB

A report will be submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) (Document “J”) which provides the Panel with comprehensive information regarding the outcomes for looked after children in the Bradford district.

 

The report comprises a summary of the information known about looked after children in Bradford as at 31 March 2018 and draws on the same data used to provide statistical returns to the Department for Education (DfE) (all figures being provisional as the DfE will publish the final figures in March 2019). It draws comparisons with performance levels at 31 March 2017 and to the first National Statistical Release for 2016-17.

 

Recommended –

 

That Document “J” be noted.

 

                                                            (David Byrom – 01274 432986)

 

Minutes:

A report was submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) (Document “J”) which provided the Panel with comprehensive information regarding the outcomes for Looked After Children (LAC) in the Bradford district.

 

The report comprised a summary of the information known about LAC in Bradford, as at 31 March 2018, and drew on the same data used to provide statistical returns to the Department for Education (DfE) (all figures being provisional with the DfE publishing the final figures in March 2019). It drew comparisons with performance levels at 31 March 2017 and to the first National Statistical Release for 2016-17.

 

He responded to questions from Members with the following information:

 

·         One Adoption West Yorkshire had undertaken targeted activity to find families able to take children who may have a disability, were part of a sibling group or with more complex needs . A campaign was also being undertaken to find and fast track suitable foster carers for these children, such as those with prior experience or relevant child care qualifications.

·         Work was being undertaken to widen the contributions made to a child’s ‘score’ in terms of their strengths and difficulties to ensure that richer data was available. That score was used as part of their referral pathway into CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) or to the Therapeutic Social Work Team.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)       That Document “J” be noted.

 

(2)       That the next report on Outcomes for Looked After Children be submitted to the April meeting of the Panel to align it with the report on Educational Outcomes.

 

ACTION:       Deputy Director (Children's Social Care)

 

20.

WORK PLAN 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 100 KB

The Panel’s Work Plan for 2018/19 is submitted (Document “K”) for Member’s consideration.

 

(Jim Hopkinson – 01274 432904)

 

Minutes:

Resolved –

 

That the following items be added to the Panel’s Work Plan:

 

·         Outcomes for Looked After Children – April 2019

·         Report on the Advocacy Service – in the 2019/20 Municipal Year.

 

ACTION:       City Solicitor

                        Deputy Director (Children's Social Care)