Minutes:
Councillor Adcock-Forster referred to the discussion earlier in the meeting with regard to the chemistry meetings held during the adoption matching process and he highlighted that foster carers played a vital role in the process. He also commented on the benefits of early permanence and he added that at a recent kinship carers event, the carers spoke of how much they appreciated the recent improvements to the service.
The Chair informed the Panel that due to time constraints, the motion to Council relating to care experience being adopted as a protected characteristic had not been considered at the last Council meeting. As a result, the motion will go forward for consideration at the next Council meeting.
The Chair reminded members that feedback on the key comments and questions raised during the discussions following the Corporate Parenting Panel training session held in September, should be sent to the Senior Partnerships Officer.
The comments / questions were provided as follows:
• Are you aware of the profile of the children in care / care leavers in your wards? If not, please make yourself aware of this.
• How can we raise the profile of ‘universal responsibility’ across all councillor roles?
• How do you consider corporate parenting responsibilities across all key decisions e.g. financial / housing etc?
• How can elected members make links across services and businesses in their corporate parenting / elected member capacity to support children and young people.
• Councillors / school governors were unsure how to ask for information relating to children in care / care leavers in their school, to be assured that they were being supported.
- The Head of the Virtual School highlighted that training was offered to school governors and she offered to share a training document. She added that all schools had a designated governor for children looked after.
• Is anything more needed on the Key Lines of Enquiry? If so, can this be strengthened in Corporate Parenting Panel meetings.
• There was an invitation from Investing in Children for members to attend Children in Care Council meetings at the Sjovoll Centre. The next meeting of the younger group will be held on 20 November and the meeting of the older group will be held on 28 November.
• The Children in Care Council asked elected members to attend their events, to make themselves known to the young people e.g. Care Day / Arts events etc.
• As part of the Children in Care Council’s update to the Panel in December, the young people will deliver a presentation to say what they think the Corporate Parenting Panel could do better.