Corporate Parenting Strategy
“Treating children and young people who are in our care as if they
were our own.”
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Index
Page
Introduction and aims of the Corporate Parenting Strategy
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Letter from Councillor J Hyde Cabinet Member
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Herefordshire’s Strategy for Corporate Parenting
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What is Corporate Parenting?
5
Councillors as Corporate Parents
6
Officers within People’s Services
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The National Picture
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The Local Picture
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Core Principles underlying the strategy
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Key Objectives
9
What will success look like?
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The Five Outcomes
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Appendix 1 Corporate Parenting Panel
Terms of reference
Membership
Other relevant groups
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Introduction and Aims of the Corporate Parenting Strategy
This strategy sets out how Herefordshire Council, NHS Herefordshire and its partners will
carry out its corporate parenting responsibilities for the looked after children and young
people, care leavers and children who are adopted that are the responsibility of
Herefordshire.
Children and young people who are looked after and care leavers (who used to be looked
after) are a group who are particularly vulnerable.
The aim of this strategy is to ensure that partners and elected members and others who
work with this group of children and young people are aware of what their responsibilities
are.
Herefordshire is committed to doing all they can to provide quality services to produce good
outcomes for these children and young people. Taking a systematic approach to identifying
and sustaining quality services is crucial and will underpin the ethos of this strategy.
Letter from Jenny Hyde
“For many years local authorities have been responsible for looking after children and
young people who, for different reasons, cannot be cared for by their own families.
Sometimes this is temporary, for others it is a long term need. Whatever the circumstances
we, as Councillors, not only have a legal and moral duty to all children in our care, but we
should also ask ourselves "Is this what I would want for my own child?".
We are required to have a strong and active corporate parenting panel to focus our
thinking on the commitment we need to make.
We, in Herefordshire, have worked hard to give our children the best care and support
possible. We could not have achieved the progress we have done without the help of our
dedicated carers. There is always more to do and we must all continue to work together for
further improvement to our services and do everything we can to give our young people the
best start in life”.
*Councillor Jenny Hyde, Chair of Corporate Parenting Panel
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Herefordshire’s Strategy for Corporate Parenting
Understanding that a systematic approach is critical in providing good services for looked
after children and care leavers, and for those children with a plan for adoption the following
targets have been identified:
•
That the Corporate parenting role is understood by all Elected Members and officers
working in Herefordshire Councils NHS Herefordshire and Partners who work with
and for looked after children and young people and care leavers
•
That children and young people in care and care leavers feel that their views on
services, strategies and the funding of services are listened to, and taken into
account in planning.
•
Services for Looked After Children are developed across the authority to promote
and improve inclusion of this vulnerable group. E.g. Work experience and
apprenticeships as a key objective.
•
An integrated Looked After Children’s Service delivers positive outcomes in
Herefordshire.
•
Looked after Children’s needs will be understood and championed and those panel
members on the corporate parenting panel will take a lead as the champion in their
own service area
•
Key performance indicators relating to looked after children and care leavers are
achieved.
• And finally…..an understanding that meeting the needs of looked after children and
care leavers is the responsibility not only of social care but also of health, education,
housing, police, youth services and any other professional services involved in the
care planning of this group of children and young people
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What is Corporate Parenting?
•
Herefordshire Council aims to support the majority of its children and young people
within their own families and communities. Preventative services will provide targeted
supported in an attempt to avoid a child becoming accommodated by the authority,
and will be key in ensuring everything that can be done to keep families together
where appropriate is. There are however a small group of children and young people
who will need to be accommodated, primarily as a result of abuse that they have
experienced at home. Where a child or group of siblings is in need of
accommodation the authority will strive to place children with a family member in the
first instance. It is only once this has been exhausted that foster care will be
considered.
•
Corporate Parenting is the term used for the collective responsibility of the Council
and its partners to ensure the care and protection of children and young people
when they are in the care of the local authority.
•
These children and young people range in age from 0 to 21 years, or 25 years if the
young person is in full-time education.
•
Children and young people in care are those for whom the Local Authority is
providing accommodation, either by way of a Court Order or in agreement with the
child’s parent or guardian.
•
A child or young person may come into care as a result of temporary or permanent
problems facing their parents, as a result of abuse or neglect or as a result of a
range of difficulties including not having a parent to care for them.
•
Many looked after children are at greater risk of social exclusion than other children
of similar age both because of their experiences prior to coming into care, as well as
by virtue of the fact that they are in care.
•
Consequently, all agencies within a Local Authority have a responsibility and role to
play in enriching the lives of children and young people who are looked after by the
Authority.
•
Corporate Parenting is about all parts of the Council, NHS Herefordshire working
together to ensure that services are appropriate to meet the needs of, and improve
the outcomes for Looked after Children across a range of services, including
housing, health and leisure as well as those specifically for children and young
people.
•
The underlying principle of Corporate Parenting is that the Local Authority will seek
outcomes for children and young people in care that every good parent would want
for their own children or children within their family and are as follows:
o the chance to have stability and form healthy attachments with their carers;
o their health, safety and emotional wellbeing;
o their education and training opportunities;
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o
o
o
o
having opportunities to engage in leisure and community activities;
being able to celebrate their culture, and identity,
having the right support to move into adult life.
To create employment opportunities by offering work experience, trainee
posts and apprenticeships within the family firm, ring fenced to care leavers.
Councillors as Corporate Parents.
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Elected members have a ‘special responsibility’,
•
‘When you became a councillor, you also became responsible for ensuring that
the Council acts as ‘Corporate Parent’ for all the children in its care. The role of
the Corporate Parent is to seek for the children in public care the outcomes that
every good parent would want for their children’. Frank Dobson
•
In 2003 the DfES published ‘If this were my child… A councillor’s guide to being a
good corporate parent’ and all elected members in Herefordshire should receive a
copy.
•
We will make sure that all councillors receive a copy of a booklet called Putting
Corporate Parenting into Practice – Understanding the councillor’s role, a
handbook for councillors by the National Children’s Bureau
•
Councillors who take on roles that relate to Children Services such as the Cabinet
Members for Children Services who have responsibilities defined in statutory
guidance.
•
Councillors who do not have a direct role with children should still exercise this
responsibility in their ward work, and will often do so in their role as School Governor.
Officers and Stakeholders
•
In Care Matters the government state
o Every child needs a good parent who looks out for them, speaks out on their
behalf and responds to their needs. For children in care, this is a statutory role
for local authorities – all local councillors and council officers share the
corporate parenting responsibility. This responsibility is paramount and
councillors and council officers should carry it with them as they go about their
daily business. They should also be clear about how, as corporate parents,
they work with and support the Lead Member and Director of Children’s
Services, in their strategic roles.
o However, it is not just local authorities that have a parenting role. In the same
way that a family shares responsibility for bringing up their children with their
extended family members, the corporate parenting responsibility must be
shared by everyone involved in supporting children in care. This includes
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health bodies, education services such as schools and colleges, the police,
youth and youth justice organisations, and the private and third sectors too.
The responses to the Care Matters green and white papers emphasised that
unless this wide range of partners accept their responsibilities, we will not
make a difference to the lives of children in care.
•
Thus all officers in the Council, NHS Herefordshire and partners are also Corporate
Parents.
•
DofF defined the concept of corporate parenting as:
o “the collective responsibility across services and across councils to safeguard
and promote the life chances of looked after children”
•
The Director of Children’s Services also has a statutory role defined in Government
guidance.
•
In Herefordshire we have some key committed officers across services and agencies
who are working collaboratively to address the needs of our children and young
people.
Officers within People’s Services
•
Officers have additional responsibilities in supporting and providing services for
looked after children and young people, and care leavers.
•
The Assistant Director for Children and Young People’s Provider Services for looked
after children has direct responsibility for corporate parenting.
Others e.g. The Independent Reviewing officers, participation workers, advocacy
services have regular contact with children and young people and are likely to hear
their views on the care and services they are receiving.
The National Picture
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There are over 60,000 children currently being looked after by local authorities, the
majority of whom are residing in foster placements. During each year about 93,500
children are in the care system with a turn over of about 33%
•
The outcomes for children and young people in care are poor, with research
indicating that this group is
o over represented amongst homeless population and prison population,
o are more likely to be offending,
o experience drug and alcohol misuse
o have poor mental health.
o Disabled children and children from ethnic minorities experience further
disadvantage.
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•
However, despite the complex needs these children and young people have, many
can and do make a great success of their lives, with the right support and care.
The Local Picture
•
Herefordshire Council has around 217 children and young people in care. The
majority are being looked after because they have experienced significant abuse or
neglect, and most are subject to Care Orders made by the courts under the Children
Act 1989. These orders confer Parental Responsibility on the council (shared with
their parents or anyone else who has Parental Responsibility). A smaller group are
cared for under a voluntary agreement with their parents where the Council acts in
loco parentis.
•
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people have very specific needs. In addition
the ethnic make-up of the population of Herefordshire is currently changing very fast.
This will have implications for our future care population, and the particular initiatives
we may need to put in place to ensure we provide care that is appropriate and
sensitive to all children and young people’s needs.
•
Most children and young people cared for by Herefordshire are living in foster care
provided predominantly by our own foster carers and also by Independent Fostering
Agencies (90%).
•
Some are placed in residential care (7.5%) or schools (2.5%), and some with family
members, including parents or friends. There are a number of children who have to
reside outside of the Herefordshire area, and we continue to be responsible for these
children regardless of their location. These children are even more vulnerable as
they lose their local networks, resulting in the loss of school and friends, and difficulty
in maintaining family relationships.
•
There are more than 90 adoptive families with children who have left the care system
by being adopted.
•
We also support about 150 care leavers who have spent varying lengths of time in
our care. Around 100 of them are over 18.
Reporting mechanisms give the actual numbers in the quarterly performance digest.
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Core Principles underlying the strategy
Children and young people in our care have the right to expect that we will provide them
with everything a good parent would provide in order to ensure they reach their full
potential. This means we will:
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Know our children, their needs, talents and aspirations and promote their interests
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Hold high aspirations for their future and expect the best for and from them
•
Take an interest in their successes and problems and show our pride in their
achievements, and celebrate them
•
Listen to their views and ensure they influence policy, plans and practice
•
Give them access to services that will enable them to overcome disadvantage
•
Ensure they are consulted about their own lives and plans
•
Recognise, support and respect their identity in all aspects
•
Promote their education
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Support their health and emotional wellbeing and resilience
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Support transition to adulthood and promote their economic prospects
•
Give them second chances, and third and fourth and fifth…..
and most importantly
….Ensure they live in a safe and stable world where they can develop positive and caring
relationships with adults and children
Key Objectives
Herefordshire’s Looked after Children’s Service has identified three key objectives with the
aspiration of providing the best standard of care that is available during the period of time a
child is looked after by the authority.
High aspirations to achieve a true corporate parenting approach will be essential and as
such the following three objectives are considered key and should be driven forward and
championed:
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The pursuit of permanence
Children and young people enter the care system for a number of different reasons.
Whatever those reasons are it is key to that child or to a group of siblings that they have
in the first instance stability and an understanding that adults and professionals who are
involved and responsible for their care seek to secure a permanent arrangement for the
remainder of their childhood, be it long term fostering, a plan for adoption, reunification
or a move into independent living.
The role of the corporate parent is key and requires an understanding that every child
needs stability and permanence to be able to feel safe and secure, develop trusting
relationships and have the emotional support to develop life skills, achieve in education
and successfully function within a community independently.
As a corporate parent we ask that attention and analysis is given to children who are
placed into care in an emergency and are placed in agency placements. Further to this
questions should be asked about internal fostering resources and the need to consider
carefully the requirement to reduce the pay bill. This must be measured with the need to
safeguard children and as such to understand this story as a corporate parent aids the
ethos that children have a right to be safe and secure and are placed only when
everything possible has been exhausted or where without accommodating the child or
children would be at risk of significant harm.
•
Work Experience and Apprenticeships for looked after children and care leavers
As a vulnerable group of children and young people we understand that achieving good
educational outcomes is a challenge. What we know is that when children and young
people become looked after they are less likely to achieve, and more often leave the
education system with less than 1 GCSE.
Work Experience and Apprenticeships for young people who have had less opportunity
to achieve in a standard education establishment must be a priority and more
opportunities for looked after children and care leavers will create better opportunities.
As corporate parents we ask that questions are asked of our partners in providing work
experience and apprenticeships. E2E and connexions are key partners in providing
opportunities however this must be driven forward through corporate parenting to realise
more opportunities and secure better futures for a vulnerable group of children and
young people.
•
Private Fostering
The term ‘Private Fostering’ relates to a child or group of siblings who are living with
someone other than their birth parents for more than 28 days and this arrangement has
been made privately between the birth parent and the private fostering carer. A common
example of this can be seen where teenagers and birth parents become estranged and
the agreement is given by the birth parent that their son/daughter can live for a period of
more than 28 days with a friend’s parents.
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Many children who are privately fostered are not known to social care, institutions or
people working with them. Privately fostered children are much more vulnerable
because of their ‘invisibility’, and because services do not always record and report
information about them. Under the private fostering regulations, identifying, recording
and reporting children who may be privately fostered is everyone’s responsibility – the
responsibility falls on all those people or agencies who come into contact with children
and young people in their work.
It is therefore important that private fostering is profiled appropriately and as a corporate
function the awareness of possible arrangements must be reported to enable partners to
ascertain the safety of the placement.
Described as ‘eyes wide open’ corporate parents and professionals are asked to be
curious in the community and in schools and alert social care professionals of an
arrangements which fit this criteria.
What Will Success Look Like?
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Effective corporate parenting results in better outcomes for children and young
people. These outcomes include improvements in the following areas:
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Increased stability in placements, when children are well matched to the best
placement for them and supported in those placements based on care
plans that are regularly reviewed;
•
Smart planning for children in care with care proceedings initiated in timely way and
where children with a plan for adoption are placed in a timely way creating the very
best opportunity of permanence.
•
Improved health, because children and young people have regular health
assessments and their health needs are responded to quickly and effectively;
•
Improved educational outcomes – in that when children and young people
reach their potential with support and additional help when needed;
•
Looked after children have access to the same range of social activities,
places to go and things to do, that are available to all young people;
•
Children and young people are cared for by staff or carers who are safely
recruited, trained, supervised and managed to deliver the highest quality of
care;
•
The quality and safety of placements offered to children and young people
are positively assessed externally by Ofsted;
•
Children and young people are supported to improve their emotional well
being, increase self esteem and confidence so that they can contribute and
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make positive contributions that mean they influence the development of
services and policies / plans that impact on them now and in the future;
•
Children and young people are supported in planning for their future, and engaged in
education, employment and training opportunities that will support them in achieving
future economic well being and success.
The Five Outcomes
•
There is extensive legislation and guidance that relates to Looked after Children and
care leavers
•
Every Child Matters, produced the 5 outcomes following the Laming report on
Victoria Climbie’s case. Those 5 outcomes are:
Be healthy
Stay safe
Enjoy and achieve
Make a positive contribution
Achieve economic wellbeing
•
In consultation with young people and care leavers ‘Herefordshire’s Pledge’
shared within this strategy aims to meet the principles underpinned by the 5
outcomes
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CORPORATE PARENTING PANEL
Terms of Reference
Appendix 1
1) To ensure that the whole Council and partner agencies have a statutory duty in
Corporate Parenting in order to achieve continuing improvements in outcomes for
looked after children and young people.
To inform and advise the council and NHS Herefordshire on issues relating to
Looked After Children.
2) To drive forward the ethos of the Corporate Parenting Strategy to ensure outcomes
fulfils our responsibilities towards looked after children, advising, monitoring and
challenging on
• Our performance against the pledge given to the children and young
people(CYP) in our care
• Our plans, strategies or policies for looked after children, young people
and Care leavers to ensure performance realises the objectives of the
Children and Young People’s Plan
• The commissioning and use of placements outside the Council area for
the accommodation and/or education of our looked after CYP.
• The key performance indicators, educational attainment, and other
associated activities in relation to our looked after children and young
people’s achievement.
3) To ensure children in care are able to participate in plans for their care and
developments for service planning and delivery, with progress being reported on an
annual basis.
4) To oversee and monitor the performance of the health and wellbeing of CYP in our
care
5) To consult with looked after CYP and their carers
6) To recognise and celebrate their achievements.
7) To receive an annual report on the work of Social Care Services, with half yearly
interim reports from fostering and adoption to ensure continual monitoring.
8) To champion the improvement of provision and service delivery.
9) To celebrate the achievement of the Council, partner agencies and their staff in the
provision of quality services.
10) To actively promote work experience and work opportunities ring fenced for care
leavers both within the Council/ NHS Herefordshire and with stakeholders.
11) To annually report to the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board
12) To ensure our CYP’s voice influences the shape of service delivery
The Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually
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Membership
Chair
Councillor,
Jenny Hyde
Elected
Member
Councillor,
Phillip Price
People’s
Services
Director,
Jo Davidson
AD
Kathy O Mahony
Corporate parenting Lead
Stephanie Clay
Participation
PCT
Housing
Head of Service for Looked
After Children
Head of Services for
principle social work
Lead Nurse Looked After
Children
Non Executive Director
Head of Housing
John Roughton
Diane Jones
Richard Gabb
Halo
Scott Ralph
YOS
Area Manager
Julie Kendell
Care Leaver
Care Leaver
Foster Carer
Advocacy
Foster Carer
Advocacy
Representative at every
panel
Godfrey Pitt
Angie Evers
Health
CAMH’s
Public Health
2gether Trust
Jane Terry
Sarah Bennion
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Other relevant groups
Looked after children practice operational group
Overall aim
•
To provide a forum for integrated planning across professional disciplines for
Children in Care and meet the identified areas of need within the looked after
children’s strategy
Functions
•
To share information regarding and where appropriate, progress in specific multidisciplinary initiatives for children.
•
To assist with developing a better understanding of the ‘story’ behind the
performance management data.
To highlight specific issues for consideration by the Corporate Parenting Panel
•
•
To discuss specific case examples, particularly where these highlight issues of wider
concern.
•
To celebrate and promote models of effective participation.
Membership:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Head of Service for Looked after Children
Participation Manager
LAC Heath Nurse
All Independent Reviewing Officers
CAMHS Nurse
CAMHS Social Worker
LAC Service Manager
Adoption Service Manager
Fostering Service Manager
This group meets Quarterly and will report to the corporate parenting panel raising issues
and concerns
Children in Care Council
A forum for children in the looked after system and care leavers to have a voice about the
way they are looked after
There will also be a representative on the Corporate Parenting Panel from the children in
care council.
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Membership
The council will be open to all children in the above group who are 10 or older.
The challenge will be to engage care leavers so that they feel that the council does make a
real difference to services for children in care and that the needs of care leavers are truly
represented by this council (GOWM Care Matters Stock Take West Midlands Region,
October 2009)
BE HEALTHY
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We promise
To encourage you to stay fit and healthy, follow your
hobbies and interests, and have fun and the opportunity to take part in volunteering.
This means that we will
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•
•
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make sure you get prompt medical attention when you need it
make sure you know how to contact the nurse at the SOS (Solve our Stress) service
if you want to talk to someone in confidence about a personal issue
expect your carers to encourage you to eat healthily and to have regular health and
dental check ups
make sure you have a Halo pass and expect your carers to help you take part in at
least 2 to 3 hours of positive activities per week
encourage you to continue with your hobbies and try out new ones
celebrate your achievements with awards ceremonies
encourage you to take responsibility for yourself and pride in looking your best
make sure you have a Health Passport to keep your Health Care Plans and personal
health history safe
ensure you are supported to volunteer to help others
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ENJOY AND ACHIEVE
We promise
to help you do the best that you possibly can at school, further education, training and
employment.
This means that we will
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
make a personal education plan that is helpful to you and that gets you any extra
support needed to help you learn and achieve your qualifications
expect your carers to take an active interest in your education, attend meetings with
teachers, and encourage and support you to do your homework to a good standard
where possible arrange meetings that don't involve you coming out of class
support you financially on to further education and university
encourage and support you to use your local library
make sure that you have access to IT and other equipment needed for
education/training
put you in to touch with a worker from STEPS – the new outreach service for children
in care – if you and your carer think this would be helpful
make sure you get a place at the best possible school
There should be free access to Halo leisure facilities for children and young people in
care
The council provide a £50 hobby allowance per young person per month
Children and young people in care should get one holiday of one week per year.
Children and young people in care should get one fun day out per year – i.e. theme
park or beach trip or zoo etc.
Transport to get to or from hobbies / activities should be provided by Herefordshire
Council (via foster carers if necessary) if you can’t get there by yourself.
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MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION
We promise
that you will have a social worker who will get to know you well and who will keep in contact
and listen to what you say
This means that your social worker
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•
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•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
will explain the reasons for you being in care and involve you in making a record of
your life story
will encourage you to improve how things work for all children in care by sending
your ideas and suggestions to the Listening Tree, writing articles for the Voices
magazine, or joining the Children in Care Council
will see you by yourself and regularly as legally required
will be someone to discuss any worries/problems you may have
will support you to take a full part in reviews of your care plan
will be on time for meetings with you and will let you know if they are delayed
will give you their work mobile phone and work email contact details and who you
can contact in emergencies
will give you information on how to get an independent advocate/visitor and also how
to make a complaint
will involve you in all decisions affecting you
can't always promise to do everything you ask but will always explain why
will celebrate your achievements
will make sure you know what changes we have made as a result of listening to your
views, via the Voices magazine and the Listening Tree in Centre 18
will make sure you have chances to meet other children in care by joining Voices
activities
will tell you when they go on holiday and who to contact if you need help whilst they
are away
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GET READY FOR ADULT LIFE
We promise
to give you all the support and help you need to make a success of moving on from care to
adult life
This means that
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
we will encourage your carer to help teach you how to budget, cook and learn the
skills needed to live independently like any other young person
whatever you decide to do you will have a named worker to support you into
independent living who will make a pathway plan with you, keep in touch and talk
about what help may be available to help you achieve your goals
you can stay in care until you are at least 18 and we will stay in touch until you are
21 and up to 24 if you are in further education or training
we will involve you in discussions about pocket money and allowances – how much
you get, what you need to do to earn it and how you are paid (weekly/monthly)
you will have a bank account and be encouraged to save
All young people have a Connexions Advisor.
Young people get support to apply for EMA in plenty of time before starting year 12
Young people are given plenty of support to apply for Student Loans / bursaries etc
when applying for University.
National Insurance Numbers are sorted out before young people leave year 11.
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Appendix 2
Legal and Guidance Framework
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provides the overarching
framework by providing the right of the child to be heard in any judicial and administrative
proceedings affecting him or her. (Article 12 ).
The Children Act 1989 sets out the main legislative framework delegating to the Local
Authority the task of parenting when a child is looked after away from his or her own family.
The Children Act 1989 also requires local authorities to seek the views of children and
young people and take their wishes and feelings into account in any plans it has for them. It
sets out minimum requirements for formal reviews of their placements. The child should be
encouraged to actively participate and express a view. Additionally the authority should
ensure that children are visited, and that a clear complaints procedure in is place. It also
requires other key agencies such as housing and health to assist Children’s Services in the
parenting role.
Quality Protects (1998 – 2004) aimed to transform children’s services. This initiative
conveyed a fundamental message to all those involved in children’s services – the need to
ask themselves “Is this good enough for my child?” It was backed by a special grant of
£885 million over five years.
The Care Leavers Regulations April 2011 aims to redress the gap between Looked After
Children upon leaving care and their peers.
The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 aims to provide the
guidance required when a child is looked after by the authority.
The Fostering Regulations 2011 aims to offer the guidance and regulations necessary to
provide the best possible care by foster carers when children are placed with them.
The Care Standards Act 2000 established national minimum standards for care in
residential homes and fostering and adoptive placements. Local Authority Social Services
are regularly inspected by ofsted against these standards.
Guidance on Education of Children and Young People in Care 2000 requires a
nominated champion for Looked After Children to promote interagency; Personal
Education plans: a designated teacher in each school and an expected limited of 20
days to provide suitable education for looked after children who change care placement.
Education Protects was launched in 2000 as a joint DoH and DfES initiative to drive
educational improvements for looked after children. It is now funded solely by DCSF
supporting the guidance and the Social Exclusion Unit’s report recommendations.
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 overhauled adoption law to ensure the welfare of
the child is paramount and that councils provide support for adoptive families. Regulations
issued as a result of this legislation impact upon the independent reviewing officers
responsible for reviewing the care plans of looked after children, complaints processes and
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the right of every child to have an advocate. It also introduced a new legal route to care for
a child if you are not their birth parent and/or do not have parental responsibility- special
guardianship orders and this enables foster carers to apply for a residence order/special
guardianship order after one year of caring for the child.
Guidance on Promoting the Health of Looked After Children published in 2002 places a
duty on local authorities and Primary Care Trusts to ensure every child has a health plan
that is regularly reviewed. Updated guidance was issued in June 2009 and is expected to
be confirmed shortly.
A Better Education for Children in Care published by the Social Exclusion Unit in 2003
sets out specific recommendations for local action to provide looked after children and
young people with the full range of educational opportunities.
Choice Protects (2003 - 2006) aims to improve the quality and choice of placements for
children and young people, backed by a £113 million grant over three years.
Every Child Matters 2003 set out plans to reform children’s services in response to the
Victoria Climbié Inquiry Report. It establishes a clear framework of accountability with
services for children and young people integrated under new Directors of Children’s
Services.
‘If this were my child … a councillor’s guide to being a good corporate parent’ is
published in 2003 jointly by the Dept of Education and Skills and the Local Government
Information Unit.
The Children Act 2004 conferred a new duty to cooperate on key partners. These are the
statutory partners who are required to work alongside the local authority and include NHS,
Police, Schools, District Councils, Youth Offending Teams and Voluntary Sectors, to ensure
the 5 outcomes of the Children Act are met. There are also other partners who do not have
a statutory duty to co-operate with us but we will need to engage and encourage them to
work with us to deliver the Children Act. These include schools and GP’s.
The Act also gave the newly created Director of Children’s Services a responsibility to
promote the educational attainment of looked after children. It also required local authorities
to identify a lead elected member for children and young people’s services.
The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services
2004 is a 10-year programme intended to stimulate long-term and sustained improvement
in children’s health. It sets standards for health and social services for children, young
people and pregnant women to ensure fair, high quality and integrated health and social
care from pregnancy, right through to adulthood.
The Adoption Support Regulations 2005 which recognises the importance of providing
services to the widening pool of adopters who adopt children with special needs as well as
the children who they adopt.
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DfES Statutory Guidance: Duty on local authorities to promote the educational
achievement of Looked After Children 2005 describes the essential actions which local
authorities are expected to take in order to comply with their duty and sets out the
requirements and roles for local authorities, social workers, foster carers, schools and
parents in delivering this duty effectively on a day to day basis.
The Children and Young People’s Act 2008 formalises children in care councils,
promotes corporate parenting strengthens the role of the Independent reviewing officer.
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