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Contact: Josie Lloyd Tel: 01270 686466 Email: josie.lloyd@cheshireeast.gov.uk
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Apologies for Absence To note any apologies for absence from Members. Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor E Gilman. Councillor D Edwardes attended as a substitute member. |
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Declarations of Interest To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests in any item on the agenda. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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Minutes of Previous Meeting PDF 123 KB To approve as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 June 2024. Minutes: RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2024 be approved as a correct record. |
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Update from the Shadow Committee (Verbal Update) To receive a verbal update and presentation on the recent activities of the shadow committee, My Voice. Minutes: The Committee received a presentation outlining the recent activities of the shadow committee, My Voice. This included:
It was reported that Care Leaver week would take place week commencing 28 October2024 and that the Star Celebration Day would be held on 24 November 2024.
The Committee asked about the Care Leaver Hub and the need to ensure that they were offering the services that care leavers wanted. In response it was explain that were two bases, one in Crewe and one in Macclesfield. Young people were attending the hubs for planned sessions such as cooking and education as well as using them as a base to drop into, knowing that there would always be someone there to offer a hot drink and support. The longer-term plan was to have a bespoke hub at the Crewe Youth Zone. Free bus travel for Care Leavers aged 16 to 21 would be operational from 30 September 2024 and this would assist young people to access the Hubs.
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Adoption Service Six Monthly Report PDF 632 KB To receive the Adoption Counts mid-year update reflecting quarters 1 and 2 of 2023-24. Minutes: The Committee considered the six-monthly report on the Adoption Service, which covered the period 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023.
The Committee as concerned about the timeliness of reporting as the data in the report was a year old. In response it was stated that there was a process which the data had to go through before it could be reported to the Committee. Data from Adoptions Count and from local authority were collected and went to the Leadership Board to be checked before any report could be written. It was usually a period of three or four months following collection of data and checking before it can be presented. It was reported that Adoption Counts had now appointed a Data Officer who now coordinating data and processed it and hopefully this would help with the timeliness of reporting the data.
Reference was made to the timeliness of stage 1 assessments and in response it was stated that the statutory checks that were required to be undertaken often took a longer to be completed. To help with this process, there would be dedicated recruitment and assessment social workers who would work with families during stage 1 of the process.
It was asked about the refusal of health assessment by a young person and what happened if this was the case. It was stated that although it was a statutory requirement, the young person’s consent was needed. If an assessment were refused another appointment would be offered and the service worked with the young person to understand their reason for refusal and would make adjustments if requied to enable them to undertake the health assessment. If they still did not want a health assessment, a health plan would be created from their paper records. |
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Cared for Children and Care Leavers Committee Quarter 1 Scorecard 2024-25 PDF 165 KB To receive the report which sets out the performance for the Cared For Children and Care Leavers service for quarter 1 of 2024/25 (1 April 2024 – 30 June 2024). Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee received the Cared for Children and Care Leavers scorecard for quarter 1 of 2024-25.
The Committee welcomed the inclusion of the health details in the scorecard.
There was concern about the number of children being housed in hotels and that these children were usually more vulnerable and needed extra support. It was reported that the number in hotels since the scorecard was published had reduced from eight to two. The main reason for using this type of accommodation was that they had exhausted all other options. The service worked closely with housing to resolve their accommodation needs.
Reference was made to the number of social workers, and it was reported that there were 24 social workers with the additional social workers to be recruited as part of the Children Services Improvement Plan.
RESOLVED:
That the Committee note the Quarter 1 Scorecard 2024-25. |