To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Corporate Parenting Committeemeeting held on 21 January 2025.

The Minutes of the Corporate Parenting Committee held on 21 January 2025 were approved as a correct record.

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no items of urgent business.

Thurrock Young Voices presented their report as set out in the agenda. The report updated members:

• 2 Young Inspectors completed their very first Inspection of Semi-Independent accommodation on Friday 7 February. They had some helpful feedback about the process and how it could be improved for the next inspection, so we are looking forward to that.
• Young Voices were pleased to share there was now a regular space at a Family Hub, for a group of Care Experienced Young Parents. The first official group was to be held on 12 March at Tilbury Family Hubs.
• 3 Young Voices facilitated another fantastic Power of Participation Workshop on 18 February 2025. This workshop was opened up to Children's Social Care staff and Foster Carers.  It was advised the workshops were adapted and improved so that it is never the same. At this meeting conversations were had about how to best support young people towards leaving care and independence.

Members were advised of the goals Thurrock’s Young Voices had set for 2025 and these included:

• Young Inspectors to be fully imbedded in the commissioning process for semi-independent placements, with more young inspectors to be trained.
• To increase the number of members of the Care Leaver forum
• To be part of the Eastern Region Care Leaver Forum
• Continue to work with Children's Social Care to help them better support young people towards becoming adults.

RESOLVED:

To note the update from Thurrock Young Voices.

The Head of Looked After Children presented the report as outlined within the agenda.  Members were asked to note the following points:

• The CLA population in Thurrock had remained relatively stable and at the end of Q3 there were 273 LAC.
• As a port-of-entry authority, Thurrock operates close to its 0.1% threshold for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) under the National Transfer Scheme (NTS). By the end of Q3 2024/25, there were 38 CLA who are UASC it was expected that this number might rise to 45 from January 2025 due to the Home Office confirming new threshold figures for the region.
• The number of missing episodes has seen a significant reduction, dropping from 86 in Q3 2023/24 to 24 in Q3 2024/25. The response to these incidents has remained consistent, with more than 95% of missing children being offered and accepting a return home interview.
• The timeliness of Initial Health Assessments (IHA) remains an area of poor performance, with 24.5% of these assessments being completed in time in the reported period. The primary cause of this delay is a lack of paediatric service capacity, an issue which remains a focus of the Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Members enquired as to the support provided to those LAC who were attending University. It was explained that it depended on the situation of the young person, some remained living with their foster carer. For those who wished to attend and live at university, there was the option of grants and financial assistance which could be applied for.

Action – For the graph at 5.12 of the report to be circulated to the Committee, due to missing figures.

RESOLVED

1. Members were sighted on the work undertaken in the service to ensure good and improved performance and areas for development and areas of success in CSC.

Members scrutinise the performance data and provide challenge to the service, relevant partners on how, as corporate parents we are ambitious for our children and young people, provide appropriate services, keep children and young people safe and promote good outcomes.

The Service Manager for Safeguarding and Reviewing presented the report and in doing so highlighted the following points:

• There had been slow but steady progress within the area, and it was important to recognise that any change within a large organization can't happen overnight. There had been lots to take into consideration but there had been significant strides within the commissioning services.
• During the tender process one of the questions raised looked at social value. Following this, moving forward those applying for commission services would be asked to create opportunities for care experience young people.
• This process had also been agreed by housing commissioning, it was hoped that this would provide a number of opportunities for Thurrock’s young people.

During discussions it was mentioned there were several big companies within the borough who could support the policy and officers were working to make communication with companies based in the borough to seek their support.

It was commented how it was important to acknowledge that Thurrock was full of opportunity both now and in the future and that it was important to

make sure that our young people including our care experience young people have good access to these opportunities.

It was suggested and agreed by the Committee to include the following wording to the recommendation:

“And to ask the executive to investigate the possibility of creating a financial incentive for companies to look to recruit from among borough young people, including those in care.”

RESOLVED

Review the progress made so far in implementing and give consideration to further actions that could be taken,and to ask the executive to investigate the possibility of creating a financial incentive for companies to look to recruit from among borough young people, including those in care.

The Head of YOS and Prevention introduced the report, which outlined Thurrock’s children who were looked after within the youth justice system in the borough, those that were in custody, those receiving statutory intervention or diversion. Members heard the majority of children in care were from backgrounds of deprivation, poor parenting, abuse and neglect these factors together create a range of emotional social and behavioural difficulties including antisocial and offending behaviour. Based on this it was commented it may therefore not be the fact of being in care that increased the risk of being drawn into the youth justice system but rather the type of childhood experiences. 

The following key points were further raised:

• The primary aim of the youth justice system was to prevent offending by all children and young people.
• Child First was the guiding principle for youth justice and views young people who offend as children rather than offenders and the concept of Child First guides the work of the Thurrock Youth Justice Service.
• The majority of children in care do not come in into contact with the criminal justice system, contact with the youth justice system is a particular issue for a small cohort of young people with care experience
• The association between care and justice was an area of concern particularly at the higher end of the youth justice system, this was when children were prosecuted in the courts and were placed in detention. It was rare for children looked after to be referred for lower level crimes that could be dealt with using out of court disposals.
• In November 2018 the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Department for Education wrote a protocol on reducing the unnecessary criminalisation of children looked after and care levers.  The Youth Justice Service has since implemented the protocol that benefits children and young people by helping children and young people maintain relationships and placement stability

Members further heard the protocol helps Children Social Care to implement the Corporate Parenting principles and coordinate services to promote positive outcomes for children looked after and care levers.

RESOLVED the Corporate Parenting Committee

1. Noted the work undertaken to safeguard Children Looked After and divert them the Youth Justice System and understand the context around why Children Looked After are more likely to commit crimes
2. Scrutinised the data and work being carried out with this cohort of young people and provide challenge to the service as required on how as corporate parents we provide appropriate services, to keep children looked after out of the Youth Justice system to promote good outcomes.

The Designated Lead Nurse for Safeguarding at the Mid and South Essex ICB presented the report as outlined within the agenda. During which she highlighted the following points:

• A child in care placement notification had been established between children in care providers, the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the local authorities to ensure that for looked after children information is passed between relevant agencies to ensure they get the best service.
• An enhanced pathway had been included, to ensure direct conversations when necessary are had for any child with complex health needs to make sure that the appropriate package of care is available at the time when they arrive in the area. This was also the case should a child move out of the area as it enabled placement packages to be revisited and looked at to ensure that correct services were in place.
• Improvements had been made to dental services for all children across the Mid and South Essex footprint. A dental pathway had been established with a lot of work between the dental health care system and the ICB along with other public health groups

Members heard there was a new commissioning board at the ICB where a case was presented for a hybrid nurse and paediatrician was proposed. In relation to additional investment the proposal was approved by the Executive Board and the ICB planned to work with community collaborative during 2025/2026 to implement that new model.

During questions from the Committee, it was remarked that in February 2025 100% of Initial Health Assessment (IHA) were held on time, Members heard this was as the authority’s care figures were steadying. The current target for March 2025 was 70% of IHA were held within 20days of a child coming into the care system.

RESOLVED

1.1Corporate Parenting Committee to continue to receive assurance and updates on the work being undertaken to improve Initial Health Assessments for Thurrock children placed in Thurrock or across Mid and South Essex

1.2Corporate Parenting Committee will be sighted on and provided with an opportunity to comment on the revised Southend, Essex and Thurrock Looked after Children Health Strategy (2025-27).

1.3Corporate Parenting Committee will continue to receive regular updates from NELFT on the health of Thurrock Children in Care and the services available to them (including access to specialist services, mental and emotional wellbeing support and the impact of service improvements on health outcomes).

1.4Corporate Parenting Committee will receive updates on NELFT’s progress in improving its approach to Children Looked After, including the impact of the newly appointed Named Professionals roles in strengthening clinical leadership and the implementation of NELFT’s strategy for Children Looked After, including co-production with young people to shape services.

The Senior Democratic Services Officer presented the report which outlined the positive work which had been undertaken during 2023/2024. She explained the report would be referred to Full Council for review in order for Members to comment on the overall work of the Corporate Parenting Committee.

Members commented they welcomed the report, however felt it could include more than an overview of the work Members had completed. It was agreed that future reports should also include links to Health reports or to have these as appendices, challenges ahead, more information on groups supporting the Council’s LAC such as Thurrocks Young Voices.

RESOLVED

That the contents of the Corporate Parenting Annual Report 2023/2024   be noted.

The Democratic Services Officer presented the work programme. She advised Members this was the last meeting of the municipal year.  During discussions the following reports were suggested for new municipal year:

• Structure of the Heath Service
• LAC healthy weight and dental report
• ICB learning from IHA (September 2025)

The work programme was noted by the Committee. </AI10>

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A full recording of this meeting can be found from the following link - Thurrock Council - Corporate Parenting Committee, 13/03/2025