The Corporate Parenting Board met on Wednesday, 2 October 2024, to review the Croydon Children's Services Corporate Parenting Annual Report 2023/24 and the Annual Report of the Croydon Independent Reviewing Service 2023-2024. The Board also received updates on the Protected Characteristic Working Group, the Children's Participation Team and Children in Care Council, and the Health & Adults Sub-Group, alongside a performance report.

Update from Children's Participation Team & Children in Care Council

The Board received a comprehensive update on the work of the Children's Participation Team and the Children in Care Council (CICC). The team is now fully staffed with four participation officers. The CICC's second quarterly report highlighted several key projects:

• Staying Close Project: Collaboration with the Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) Service to identify peer mentors with lived experience to support younger individuals. Two information sessions have been held, identifying four peer mentors, with funding secured from the Department for Education (DfE).
• Work Experience Programme: A joint initiative with the CEYP Service and Croydon Housing Call Centre to offer an eight-week training programme with potential for full-time employment. The programme is under preparation, with interviews scheduled for January 2025 and a launch in February 2025, aiming to recruit up to eight young people.
• Young Quality Assessor: Collaboration with the Children's Integrated Commissioning Team to select a Young Quality Assessor who will ensure the perspectives of 16–17-year-old young people are considered by supported accommodation providers.

The Board was informed that the team had reached over 900 young people with care experience through notify.gov, with a focus on engaging individuals not previously worked with. A detailed comparison of CICC participant demographics against the borough's Children in Care (CIC) population was presented, showing close alignment in gender, race, and ethnicity.

The Children's Participation Team's 'Themed Primary Age Offer', including a Halloween Festival, was also mentioned, coinciding with National Care Leavers Week. The Chair suggested creating a hashtag to show solidarity during this week. The development of a new Children's Home in Sanderstead was welcomed, with a commitment to follow up on decoration and safety considerations raised by a Care Experienced Young Person.

Update on Protected Characteristic Working Group

A verbal update was provided on the Protected Characteristic Working Group. The group reviewed information and considered three options: not to adopt a protected characteristic, to recommend adoption based on Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) reviews and reports, or to adopt based on existing information. The second option, which involves ensuring all EQIAs across the council consider the needs and impact of decisions on care-experienced young people, was unanimously agreed by the Working Group. An evaluation of this change will be presented in a year.

Discussions within the Working Group included the definition of an 'Episode of Care', whether the protected characteristic should apply to all care-experienced individuals in the borough or be limited to those currently looked after by the Council, and potential legal implications of disclosing care status. The Board agreed with the approach, and the Chair suggested learning from other local authorities. The Children Looked After Quality Assurance Service Manager explained that the EQIA would measure the impact of service changes for Croydon's care-experienced young people, holding the Council accountable and improving services. The Subject Matter Expert noted that the discussion around adopting protected characteristics itself had been a significant driver for change in other local authorities. The Corporate Director of CYPE and the Director of Children's Social Care confirmed that the EQIA framework would be refreshed in Autumn 2024, and changes to cover care-experienced individuals would be discussed before going to the Mayor's Advisory Board. The Board also inquired about the robustness of EQIAs in relation to outcome delivery, with the Chair stating it would be an ongoing work.

Croydon Children's Services Corporate Parenting Annual Report 2023/24

The Board received the Croydon Children's Services Corporate Parenting Annual Report 2023/24. Key highlights included the involvement of the first care-experienced Co-Chair and 25 young ambassadors in the improvement process. The Looked After Children 0-16 and Young People's 16+ service has seen increased stability with more permanent social workers, personal advisors (PAs), and managers. The Early Permanence team, established in the last year, aims to ensure children needing adoptive homes are placed swiftly.

The Corporate Parenting Strategy has a focus on improving the quality and affordability of housing for care-experienced young people. A Housing Pathway Panel, a multi-agency panel, has been set up to assess young people's needs and match them with suitable accommodation. The first voids standard has been established to provide a set standard of accommodation, including essential items. This project will be a pilot, with learnings to be shared with the Board.

Concerns were raised about additional support for young people transitioning to adulthood. The Head of Service assured the Board that appropriate support is provided at the right time. The Chair highlighted the positive impact of the 'Joint Housing and Children's Social Care Protocol' in supporting care leavers. The Subject Matter Expert explained that the Housing Allocations policy is being presented to Cabinet, and the Housing Pathway Panel will help meet young people's needs across various accommodation options. The Director of Housing Management confirmed ongoing discussions with housing associations regarding the voids standard project.

The CEYP Team maintains communication with young people about the Local Offer and runs practical financial management workshops with external agency Money House, funded by grants. The team is also focusing on improving the timeliness and quality of pathway plans, with all plans being reviewed by a team manager. Two emotional health and well-being clinicians have joined the service to provide sessions. Updates on the care leavers' app, Croydon Cares, were also provided, with a launch date set for November 2024.

Annual Report of Croydon Independent Reviewing Service 2023-2024

The Board received the Annual Report of the Croydon Independent Reviewing Service 2023-2024. The Service Manager reported an over 10% increase in Children Looked After (CLA) reviews in 2022/23, with 1401 reviews convened and only 79 late reviews. This year, there were 10 late reviews by the meeting date, indicating improvement. The participation rate in CLA reviews remains high at 90%, with efforts to make meetings more engaging, including creative approaches for younger children and co-chairing.

The report also detailed an increase in resolutions (formal or informal escalation processes) last year. New developments include fostering IROs joining the team in September 2023 and joint housing assessments to support homeless children. IROs have fulfilled this role for 25 children. The team has also assisted 18+ care-experienced young people (CEYP) facing transition planning delays or challenges, and those in custody.

Regarding IRO caseloads, there are 15 full-time/part-time IROs managing 520 children, with an average caseload of 59, which is within the recommended range of 50-70. The RAG (Red-Amber-Green) rating in 18+ reviews was discussed, with young people invited to express their wishes regarding meetings. The Council's support for CEYP in risk assessment for exploitation and safeguarding in housing allocation was highlighted, with community safety and individual safety being key components, including sharing hot spot data and consulting ambassadors.

Health & Adults Sub-Group Discussion

A verbal update on the Health & Adults Sub-Group was presented. Progress on the adult and health pathway has been challenging, with no local authorities or Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) able to share a current pathway. The Adult Social Care team is identifying community-led support opportunities for care-experienced young people's mental health, with the Community Catalyst Project identifying over 200 types of groups and opportunities. The new care leavers' app is expected to be crucial in developing this approach. The CLA Designated Health Professional is working with young ambassadors to explore including health summaries in the NHS app.

Performance Report

The Corporate Parenting Board received the Performance Report for June and August 2024. The Director of Children's Social Care confirmed that the report pack included an updated version with Care Leaver indicators and commentary on consistently red indicators.

Updates were provided on CLA 18 (Percentage of initial health assessments delivered within 20 working days), with a one-month time lag for data availability. The CLA health team completed IHAs within 20 days in August 2024. Historical corrections were cited as the cause for dataset differences between June and August.

Regarding the permanence indicator (AD 7 - Average time between a child entering care and moving in with the adoptive family), the Director explained that the small cohort size and the needs of some children extending timescales were factors. Delays in pathway plans (CEYP a - Care experienced young people with an Up-to-date Pathway plan) were attributed to high sickness levels among Personal Advisors (PAs), though covering staff had supported completion. The Board stressed the importance of timely pathway plans and PA support. An action was agreed for a deep dive into Pathway Plans and PA staff sickness.