The Corporate Parenting Panel of Harrow Council met on Thursday 1 February 2024 to review updates on the participation service, corporate parenting performance, missing children, virtual school performance, and health services for children looked after. The panel noted the positive outcomes of various initiatives aimed at supporting young people in care, including financial assistance, social activities, and educational support.

Update from Participation Service and Care Experienced Young People

The panel received an update from the Participation Officer, Joy Bell, who presented key findings from the 2023 Care Leaver Survey. The survey highlighted concerns among young people regarding the rising cost of living, loneliness, and uncertainty about housing. In response, the council provided care leavers with a £100 supermarket voucher from the Household Support Fund, offered discretionary clothing allowances, and continued initiatives to combat loneliness such as the Care-Experienced Christmas Dinner and the Care Leavers Forum. The service also continued to offer support with private rent and deposits, and signposted young people to Coram Voice for advocacy. In the past year, 62 young people received free gym memberships, and two training sessions were delivered by care-experienced individuals to social workers. The participation service hosted 14 events and activities for children looked after, with 40 young people attending at least one outing, and distributed 691 Christmas presents. The panel was informed that the Care-Experienced Award Ceremony would be held on 15 February and members were invited to attend.

Update and Performance for Corporate Parenting Service

Jacinta Kane, Assistant Director – Corporate Parenting, presented an update on the performance of the Corporate Parenting Service. Harrow Council was noted to be performing well in comparison to statistical neighbours and national averages, particularly in areas of placement stability, suitable accommodation for care leavers, and care leavers in education, employment, and training (EET). In the second quarter, 90% of Children Looked After (CLA) had their reviews within the target timescale, with a local target of 95%. The panel heard that while 18 reviews were late in Q2, the majority were completed within two weeks. Performance regarding dental checks for CLA was also strong, with 83.3% having up-to-date checks, exceeding regional and national averages, although encouraging teenagers to attend dental appointments remains a challenge. The report also detailed a decrease in the number of children placed more than 20 miles from Harrow, with 85% of these being long-term placements. An update on missing episodes indicated that 8.6% of CLA had a missing incident in Q2, with weekly reviews conducted with the police and senior social care managers. The panel also received an update on placement sufficiency challenges, particularly for sibling groups and parent and child placements, and the ongoing work to address these through the Placement Sufficiency Strategy and the Commissioning Alliance.

Missing Children Report

Donna Kitchen, Team Manager for Adolescent Safety Development, presented a report on missing children activity between 1 April 2023 and 31 December 2023. A new system has been introduced to improve the reporting of missing children. Return Home Interviews identified the top five risk factors as concerns with family/friends contact, drugs, criminality, alcohol misuse, and child sexual exploitation. The data showed a significant increase in repeat missing episodes for CLA, with the ten most frequently missing children accounting for over three-quarters of all reported episodes. The most common age for young people to go missing was 16-17 years old. The report highlighted an over-representation of Black or Black British children among those going missing. The panel requested an annual report detailing the impact of actions taken to reduce missing episodes, a breakdown of persistently missing children, and a risk rating for missing children.

Virtual School Performance Update

Mellina Williamson-Taylor, Headteacher of the Harrow Virtual School, provided an update on the school's performance. In the Autumn Term 2023, 70% of statutory school-aged pupils had an attendance of 90% or better, with 19% achieving 100% attendance. Persistent absence affected 30% of pupils, with 65% of these being male. The number of pupils with suspensions was 5%, and no child had been permanently excluded. Performance at Key Stage 4 showed improvement, with 77% of students receiving GCSE passes (Grades 1-9), an increase from the previous year. The number of students achieving a good GCSE pass in both English and Maths also increased by 6%. The Virtual School continues to support students in education, employment, or training (EET) and provides resources for university students. The role of Virtual School Headteachers has been extended to promote the education of children with a social worker and those in kinship care.

Update and Performance on Health for Children Looked After

Christine Nichols, Named Nurse for Children Looked After in Harrow, presented the key performance indicators for Initial Health Assessments (IHA) and Review Health Assessments (RHA) for children looked after. For IHAs, the percentage completed within the 20-day timescale varied by month, with challenges including late requests and carer declines. For RHAs, the percentage completed within the statutory timescale also varied, with late requests being a primary factor. The CLA team records dental and optician check dates and updates immunisation status. The panel heard about a positive case study where a young person experiencing trauma and complex needs received appropriate health support following intervention from the CLA nurse, leading to engagement with CAMHS. The report also highlighted partnership working with foster carers, the Social Work Academy, and community paediatricians.