Issue - meetings

The committee will receive the draft annual report prior to finalisation by the Corporate Parenting Panel.

Members are asked to comment on the draft report prior to the final endorsement by the Corporate Parenting Panel on 18^th September.

The draft report will be published subsequently as a supplement to this agenda.

 The Committee received the draft annual report prior to finalisation by the Corporate Parenting Panel at its meeting on 18 September 2018. The finalised report would be presented to Council 16 October 2018.

It was reported that meetings had been well attended with a young person being present at each meeting. However, as previously noted in Minute No 48 above, young people preferred to attend meetings in places which they regularly met and consideration would be given as to how this desire could be accommodated.

It was pointed out that the current strategic strategies were still relevant and had not been changed.  They were as follows:-

·                Strengthen the corporate parenting role and corporate parenting function across Wiltshire Council as a whole.

·                Continue to improve timeliness of permanency for looked after children across the range of permanency options.

·                Ensure that there is sufficient accommodation for looked after children within Wiltshire which meets the needs of those children. Prioritise placement within Wiltshire.

·                Improve care leavers journey by ensuring an enhanced offer to care leavers across all areas: education, employment and training, independent living, housing options and health.

·                Improve the educational outcomes for looked after children; closing the gap between looked after children and other children in the county.

·                Ensure that looked after children are protected from the risk of child sexual exploitation and reduce the frequency with which some looked after children and care leavers currently go missing.

·                Ensure that looked after children and care leavers have timely and easy access to mental health services.

During discussion, reference was made to the closure of Aspire House and its effect on the provision of virtual teaching in Wiltshire.  It was explained that virtual teaching had now moved out of Aspire House on the recommendation of the virtual school headteacher and work was being carried out on developing a new service specification.  It was generally considered that it was more beneficial for children to be educated in the community at a mainstream school as close to their home as possible.

In welcoming the draft annual report, it was hoped that a young person might be available to speak to this report when it was presented to Council.

Resolved:

(1)          To note and endorse the draft Corporate Parenting Panel Annual Report.

(2)          To request further information on Priority 2 at a briefing session immediately before the meeting of this Committee on 5 March 2019.