Agenda item

To consider an update on Corporate Parenting.

The Committee received an update in relation to cared for children and young people and care leavers and noted the following headlines:

 

National Developments

A new adviser to support young people as they leave the care system has been appointed as part of the government’s drive to improve the lives of vulnerable children.  Mark Riddell, MBE, has been appointed as the National Implementation Adviser for care leavers.  Dates have been set to meet with Cheshire East Council.

 

Update on Homelessness Reduction Act

The Act will come into force on 1st April 2018 and will place new duties on Local Authorities and other public bodies to identify, support and refer households at risk of homelessness.   

 

Local Developments

 

Children in Care Council Update

During the last month the young people attending the Children in Care Council have been involved in a range of key activities alongside informal activities designed to support their personal, social and educational development.

 

Pre-event consultation for the Game Changer conference in Blackpool

Some of the young people were also involved earlier in the year in the planning of the event, that took place in Blackpool on Saturday 4th November.

 

Takeover Day 2017

This has been scheduled for 24^th November when the group members will be working alongside Nigel Moorhouse and Mark Palethorpe.

 

Star Awards

Young people have been involved in the Star Awards event planning, putting forward ideas and giving feedback on the last few details of the event. A care leaver was involved in the judging panel this year.

 

Planning for Corporate Parenting Committee

Young people have discussed the keys issues affecting them ahead of the November Corporate Parenting Committee. The young people looked at the theme of Education in preparation for the upcoming session.

 

Visit from Head of Service

The young people organised a session and invited Kerry Birtles, the new Head of Service, along so that they could spend some time getting to know each other. Kerry also discussed with the young people what their key concerns were and the group decided on some areas of work that they will cover in the coming months, such as the Pledge and the Corporate Parenting Strategy.

 

 

 

National Adoption Week 2017

This took place from 16^th – 22^nd October and included a successful campaign for Cheshire East along with the other local areas as part of ‘Adoption Counts’. 

Update on Teenage Pregnancy and Parents

 

Care Leaver Mothers

 

Motherwell is a charity for women run by women, promoting positive health and wellbeing, by offering a range of educational services, holistic therapies and mental health support.

 

Research Project

 

This is a 3 year project which will be carried out by the Head of Abuse Studies at MMU Crewe and will research the correlations in childhood experiences of abuse and implications that this has on parenting.

 

Positive Parenting Groups

 

The first Positive Parenting Group was held in July 2017 at Oak Tree Children’s Centre in Crewe.

 

North Locality Positive Parent Group

 

This will be an informal peer support group with the plan to bring services to their group, as and when identified by the young people or identified by staff as a need, around their parenting and health issues.

 

South Locality Positive Parenting Group

 

One day a month the south based care leaver mothers can access the children’s centre and have their own group. On this day they can also access health advice and support from services already based within the centre.

 

Care Leaver Fathers

 

Research Project, Care Leaver Fathers

 

 A research project into male care leaver fathers and their experiences and interactions with social care in relation to their own children is currently underway.

 

 

Direct one to one support and group support for Care Leaver Fathers via Dads Stuff

 

This has been assigned to all Personal Advisors to refer - The current group in Sandbach is a busy group and this is being extended across other areas in the authority.

 

Resource Folder

A resource folder has been set up covering a variety of topics.

 

Update on Children’s Home Position

 

The commissioning process for the redesign of Cheshire East’s residential homes for children in care was completed at the end of 2016-17 and a contract was awarded to BetterCare Keys, a national children home provider, to run from 1 April 2017. The aim is to provide a more flexible range of children homes and to increase the capacity to care for more children within the borough. Currently there is a 3 bed Children’s Home operational in Crewe. Other options to commission an additional 11 beds as planned and agreed by Cabinet in October 2016 is being looked at.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the presentation be noted.