‘Putting corporate parenting into practice’ project

2. ‘Putting corporate parenting into practice’ project Di Hart & Alison Williams

3. DfE funded project • Aim = To support local authorities in their corporate parenting role • Emphasis on practical support • Regional events for those with a lead role in corporate parenting • Events with corporate parents and children in care councils • Tailored support for authorities having difficulties • Free web-based resources from May 2013 • NB: we define corporate parents as those with ultimate responsibility i.e. creating the right framework for staff/ carers to look after children well • But different levels of responsibility according to role

4. Levels of responsibility • Universal - all councillors should • Understand the legal/ policy framework • Know the profile of local children – and how well they are doing • Consider the needs of looked after children in all decisions • Targeted – councillors with relevant role e.g. member of corporate parenting group or scrutiny committee should • Consider the effectiveness of local arrangements • Consider range of evidence in order to identify what needs to change • Specialist – councillors with leadership role should • Constantly drive improvements to the service • Make sure that the needs of looked after children are incorporated in all council/ partner strategies • Keep up to date with research findings and new initiatives

5. Children repeatedly tell us.. • They want to be cared about, not just cared for • ‘We’re not treated like children, we’re a case’ • Differences from other children were seen as • Cost perceived as the biggest factor in decisions • Having care plans, meetings and case files • Bureaucratic processes for ‘permission’ • Being treated differently at school • Leaving care early to live on your own • Moving from place to place • Multiple professionals and disrupted relationships (from: Having Corporate Parents - Children’s Rights Director)

6. What Ofsted found … • In LAs where services were effective, they found Articulation of the leadership, ambition and objectives for looked after children • In these authorities the corporate parenting board: • demonstrated a strong cross-party commitment to looked after children, championing their rights, having high aspirations for them and monitoring their progress • planned for and prioritised the needs of looked after children, resulting in a greater focus on improving outcomes • actively engaged with their young people

7. A focus on outcomes • Identify needs – and priorities • Decide what outcomes you want to achieve • Commission services to achieve those outcomes • Review to see if they have been effective • Ongoing process … led by elected members

8. Inspection from April 2013 • Four year cycle by Ofsted and CQC • Bringing together all looked after services, adoption and fostering • Less focus on data, more on quality of care and child’s ‘journey’ • Explicit focus on leadership and governance • Role of lead member and chief executive • How corporate parents oversee specific aspects e.g. children missing from care, out of authority placements, sufficiency, meaningful relationships • Corporate parenting arrangements, including response to NHS reforms, commissioning

9. Model of effective corporate parenting Children say what they think of quality of services Children’s comments heard & taken into account • Scrutiny • Internal • Inspection • Management information • Qualitative • Quantitative • Plans, strategies, policies and protocols • CYPP • Commissioning strategy • Policies, plans & protocols of all partners • Care Pledge Leadership & Governance Children in Care Council in place for consulting children Children’s views & wishes are heard concerning staff, their placements & services • Resources • Staffing • Skills • Placements • Services Corporate parenting group/ mechanism Decision Making Systems & structures within LA Systems & structures within partner agencies Children receive feedback including explanations of decisions made

10. What we found ... • Greater awareness of corporate parenting role • ... but difficulty in establishing coherent governance arrangements • Challenges in getting the ‘right’ information – and knowing what sense to make of it • Lack of confidence in knowing how/ when to challenge officers – and issues of trust • Problems in knowing how to work with children and young people • Gaps in multi-agency involvement and ‘ownership’

11. Governance arrangements • Most councils have some sort of body responsible for corporate parenting – but different models

12. The ‘so what’ test • Corporate parenting boards get information but not always meaningful • Statistics with no context, such as comparison with past performance/ other councils/ the local population • Reports that only include the good news ... or offer no analysis/ explanation • All statistics and nothing about quality • Need to take control and ask for helpful information • Look at multiple sources of information • Performance data • Children’s views – and frontline staff/carers • Supporting data e.g. analysis of complaints, IRO report

13. Working with children and young people • Children and young people should have a voice in: • All decisions that affect them as individuals • The service as a whole • Children in care councils work best if they have • Good links with DCS and elected members • Terms of reference (A National Voice report) • Corporate parents must • Set up effective working relationship with CiCC e.g. representation on corporate parenting board • Make sure other children are also heard • Develop a Pledge that goes beyond rhetoric

14. Free resources • From May 2013, free resources on • Understanding corporate parenting responsibilities • A model of effective corporate parenting • How to work effectively with children and young people • Tools for evaluating the effectiveness of local corporate parenting arrangements • Signposts to further sources of information • Handbooks for individual elected members www.ncb.org.uk/corporateparenting