Agenda item

The Service Improvement Manager, Rachel Harris, introduced ‘Experts Through Experience’ (for copy of presentation see file of minutes).

The Panel heard that the Experts Through Experience group included young people from the Children in Care Council and the group was managed and supported by Children’s Social Care.  The group had worked with insight and sensitivity on the Experts Through Experience project and the presentation before the Panel provided a summary of the group’s in-depth investigation into why brothers and sisters were separated.

Rebecca Harrison, Project Worker from Investing in Children was accompanied by Cory, Luke, Billie, Angelica and Bee who represented the  diverse group of young people involved in the investigation, all of whom were driven by their shared commitment to continue to improve the experience of young people in our care.

The young people explained that the project began in April 2023 when they decided that they would like to carry out in-depth investigations into specific aspects of the social care system and they agreed that their first investigation would be to look into why siblings were separated.  Luke provided information on the investigation methodology which encompassed the way in which the investigation was to be carried out, including what information the young people wished to gain from the investigation, who they wished to interview and where the interviews would take place. It was agreed that interviewees would include social workers, young people, professionals and carers and the interviews would be held in the young people’s hubs. The interview questions were designed to be both informative and sensitive.

Following the interviews, data from the investigation was collated and analysed with assistance and support from senior managers from Children’s Social Care who provided additional statistics. Lee Peacock, Participation and Engagement Officer, provided details of areas identified as working well.  This included that 72% of respondents reported being in contact with at least one sibling and 60% said there was nothing they would like to change about coming into care. Almost all the young people interviewed considered that coming into care was positive. In addition, the Mockingbird model, which offers peer support and social activities to foster carers and their families, received positive feedback.

Luke shared information on the areas identified for attention. He reported that a high number of respondents said they did not fully understand why they came into care. Only half of the young people interviewed said they were happy with the amount of family time and some were not aware that they could request more family time. The interviews highlighted that there could be more pre-emptive support to prevent sibling breakdowns. Social worker inconsistencies were also highlighted as an area of concern.

Presenting the next steps and recommendations, Cory highlighted the overwhelming support from those interviewed, for the extension of the Mockingbird model and Life Story work and Later Life Letters were identified as important tools to help young people to understand their past. The investigation also highlighted the importance of responding to the voice of the child and respecting the wishes of all those within the sibling group.

In terms of recommendations, the investigation found that when all those in a young person’s circle of support had good relationships, work together and communicate openly it could be of great benefit to support positive relationships between siblings. It was recommended that the views of young people with regard to family time arrangements should be given more weight, that there should be greater preparation time and family time settings should be fit for purpose. Cherished items such as family pets should be allowed to be a part of family time, as pets are often considered to be part of the family.  It was also recommended that a process should be developed to review children’s views around family time on a regular basis, including how much family time was offered and that young people should be involved in choices as to who they would like to see during family time.

The young people then shared their views on their learning from the investigation. They commented on the benefits to be gained when foster carers, social workers and birth families had good relationships.  The young people also referred to the important role that social workers played in helping young people to understand their relationships and they recognised that when siblings decided not to stay in contact with each other, those situations required great sensitivity and care.

The young people observed that when siblings wished to increase the amount of family time, that often took a long time to facilitate and the young people said they would like to see that process improved. They also highlighted that family time venues played a key part in the experience and informal, family time settings were preferable.

The investigation also highlighted that all young people were different and whilst some siblings may benefit from having the same social worker, others may benefit from having different social workers.  The investigation also showed that some young people were not aware that they could request more family time and some were hesitant about meeting separated siblings, fearing it may cause their sibling distress.

The young people spoke of how family time with brothers and sisters was different to family time spent with parents and they highlighted that some siblings may not wish to have family time with their parents, however, that should not prevent siblings from having family time with each other. 

The young people acknowledged that one of the main reasons cited for sibling separation ie the lack of resources, was a national issue, particularly for large sibling groups and they suggested that, when it was necessary to separate siblings, more consideration should be given to placing siblings as close to each other as possible.

The young people also learnt how important it was to allow interviewees time and space to answer questions and that by ensuring the interviewee felt relaxed and supported, they could share their views and feelings with ease, in the course of conversation. The process had helped the young people to understand that it was natural to feel emotional when sharing personal experiences and they remarked on how difficult they found the investigation, being personally invested in the topics under discussion.  They added that they were pleased that they had their support networks in place throughout the process. They also recognised the value in care experienced young people interviewing one another.

The Chair thanked the young people for their presentation and the wider group for all the work that had gone into the investigation. Comments and questions from the Panel were then invited.

Councillor Deinali congratulated the young people for the work and she

added that the themes resonated with her and that she hoped that the learning will have a positive impact on young people’s experiences of social care in the future. Billie informed the Panel that a meeting will be held with the Head of Children’s Social Care in the near future, to discuss the findings, and a progress update will be provided to the Panel in due course.

Councillor Hunt also thanked the young people for addressing what was undoubtedly an emotional subject for all those involved. She also thanked the officers involved including the Participation and Engagement Officer and Project Mangers from Investing in Children for their work to support the  young people. Councillor Hunt referred to the pre-emptive support to prevent sibling breakdowns and she suggested that respite may help to build sibling relationships that may otherwise breakdown. Councillor Hunt asked whether, when siblings were separated, foster carers were introduced to one another to develop their relationships which, in turn, could benefit the relationships between siblings. The Strategic Manager for Looked After and Permanence replied that placement planning took all the young person’s relationships into consideration and family time reviews could be brought forward if circumstances changed. 

Councillor Reed commended the amount of work the young people had undertaken, saying the investigation had provided valuable insight.  She asked whether there was a timeframe for the recommendations to be actioned.

The Service Improvement Managerreplied that the young people were clear that they would like their investigation facilitate positive change as soon as possible and, following the meeting with the Head of Children’s Social Care, an action plan will be developed, with input from the young people. The Service Manager for Children and Young People’s Services informed the Panel that some changes had already been implemented, including a meeting had been held with the Children in Care Council, to gather their views as to what they would like to see included in Later Life Letters. In addition, the young people’s views regarding Life Story work had been discussed with the Adoption Team to improve the way that children learn about their birth family. The views on venues for family time had also been considered and Sherburn Young People’s Hub was now being used for family time.

The foster carers in attendance spoke of how they were facilitating family time in more natural settings such as at soft-play venues, restaurants and cinemas and how these settings had improved the experience for all those concerned, including birth parents. The foster carers commented that changes in family time arrangements were required to be implemented carefully, to ensure all those involved were comfortable with the changes. The young people echoed the comments with regard to the value of foster carers facilitating family time sessions.

The Chair acknowledged that there was more work to be done to make improvements and to address some of the issues the young people had highlighted as areas of concern, such as social worker inconsistencies. 

In response to a question from the Head of Early Help, Inclusion and Vulnerable Children who asked the young people for their thoughts on a reasonable timescale for a progress update, the young people suggested that a reasonable timescale for a review would be six months. In the meantime, the young people would look forward to planning their next investigation. 

Resolved: That the presentation be noted.