Agenda item

Sufficiency and Commissioning Strategy for Children Looked After and Care Leavers - Report and Presentation of Corporate Director, Children and Young People's Services, Durham County Council and Joint Head of Integrated Strategic Commissioning for County Durham CCG and Durham County Council

Minutes:

The Panel considered a joint report of the Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services and the Joint Head of Integrated Strategic Commissioning for County Durham CCG and Durham County Council which set out Durham’s strategic approach to securing sufficient accommodation to meet the needs of children looked after, and, presented the Sufficiency and Commissioning Strategy for Looked After Children and Care Leavers for the period 2020-2023 (for copy of report and presentation see file of minutes).

Lindsey Herring, Commissioning Manager, delivered a presentation and outlined the key strategic priorities as follows:

               

·      Grow the number of in-house foster carers and reduce reliance on independent foster care provision

·      Increase the number of adopters

·      Continue to develop and broaden the residential homes offer and maximise opportunities with external providers

·      Develop access to a diverse range of appropriate accommodation for Care Leavers

 

Claire Morris, Strategic Manager for Children Looked After Resources, thanked Commissioning colleagues for their work in producing such a detailed strategy.  By way of a brief update, she explained that, in respect of the plan to expand the smaller homes offer, a 3-bedded home had recently been purchased and recruitment for the manager of the home is underway.

 

Panel members asked questions and commented as follows:

 

·      Councillor Smith referred to the recent Overview and Scrutiny Review into Children’s Residential Care Homes and commented that she was pleased to see the increased liaison with private providers which she hoped will lead to more children and young people being placed closer to familiar surroundings and locations. 

 

·      Councillor McKeon acknowledged the work of the Commissioning team to create a flexible offer and to endeavour to meet the individual needs of the unique group of young people within the county and she thanked officers for the hard work.  Speaking from experience within her ward, she reported that local members, the parish council, and, the community had been very well briefed and consulted on proposals for the location of a children’s home within the ward.  The Commissioning Manager highlighted that joint working is undertaken with the police, providers, and, young people, to carry out comprehensive assessments of the potential impact on communities.

 

·      Councillor Considine thanked officers for their hard work and added her support for the plan to increase the offer for smaller homes.

 

·      Councillor Crathorne spoke of the importance of providing support to young people on leaving care, and the development of the Staying Close pilot scheme, to offer young people leaving care the opportunity to continue to access support from their previous children’s home. 

 

·      Councillor Tucker referred to page 9 of the strategy and noted the net current forecast overspend of approximately £5 million and she asked how this is likely to impact spending throughout the next financial year.  The Commissioning Manager informed the Panel that financial profiling is underway and the Head of Children’s Social Care added that careful consideration will be given as to how projects will be prioritised, both in terms of finance, and, the needs of children and young people.

 

Resolved:

 

That the report be noted.

 

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