Agenda item

Suzanne Green, programme lead officer, and Genette Laws, director of commissioning, presented this item.

Summary:

The report outlined: That the council has a duty under the Children Act 1989 (Section 22) to provide sufficient placements within the local authority’s area, so far as is reasonably practical, to meet the accommodation needs of our children looked after and care leavers.

·  Children between the ages from 10 years and above; 60 percent are from black and ethnic minority groups and a majority were asylum seekers

·  The care leavers (60 percent ratio) were in residential care and lived within a 20-mile radius away in accordance with the government guidelines

·  There was a reported number of children who were placed in residential care 

·  The aim was to increase the number of adoptive families and improve the efficiency of the strategy.

The officers responded to questions concerning:

·  Information about the special educational needs budget

·  16 plus regulation, commission alliance which involved an accreditation team on the type of support they could offer in regard to residential provision

·  The number of black children waiting for adoption.

Alasdair Smith, director, children & families, children's and adults' services agreed to present data to the committee, on the disparity of children based on their ethnicity particularly black and white children – that could be addressed through “Adopt London”.

Action:

Noted the committee’s work plan and for officers to provide more detail on the proportionality and what further work could be done, to engage with black led organisations in the area which included early intervention of black looked after children and care leavers.

RESOLVED

1.  That the children in care and care leavers placement sufficiency strategy set out in Appendix 1 be noted.

2.  That comments concerning the children in care and care leavers placement sufficiency strategy be noted.