Minutes:
The head of joint commissioning for children and young people, clinical commissioning (CCG) presented an outline of the sufficiency strategy and the arrangements that the local authority must take to provide accommodation within their area for every child they look after. The process of updating the strategy that has previously ran from 2014 to 2017 is beginning and comments were being sought to commence this work.
The committee provided the following feedback/comments:
· Felt that the strategic vision should document that children will do better if placed in Southwark. The outcomes are significantly improved if remain within the borough
· Child centred focus as a starting point
· The data should reflect percentage of children for safety or other reasons that need to remain out of borough. A breakdown of what these other reasons are and figures
· Clear about challenge ahead. How many foster carers would need to be recruited to place children locally
· The residential option. The need for this option to be researched and considered as part of the evidence gathering process
· Issue of foster care homes and accommodation issues (properties not being large enough to foster). Issue of adaptations to properties also discussed.
· London living rent linked to foster carers (cabinet member for children services to also look at)
· Possibility raised of foster carers being added to key worker housing list. Cabinet member for children services to discuss with cabinet member for regeneration and homes)
· Need a strategic and detailed look at adolescent children and more complex cases
· Different types of accommodations and work with other boroughs
· Further work in focus groups (outside of Tooley Street) suggested
· Building on 16+ accommodation work as indicated in the initial outline.
RESOLVED:
That the committee receive a report back on progress on the strategy to its July meeting (setting out key proposals and the local offer).