Issue - meetings

The Chair of the Member Corporate Parenting Group presented the Barking and Dagenham Member Corporate Parenting Annual Report 2015/16.

The Member Corporate Parenting Group had a responsibility to closely scrutinse the work undertaken by officers and partner agencies to support young people looked after and care leavers to achieve the best outcomes.

The report showed the achievements of the previous year, as well as setting out the challenges faced in the coming year.  The report also provided a summary of the progress that had been made in relation to the ‘promise’ made to children looked after and the ‘pledge’ to care leavers by the Member Corporate Parenting Group as part of the Corporate Parenting Strategy.

In response to questions, the Assembly were advised that:

·  The Borough was the third highest London Borough for the number of children adopted, although it was noted that the number had gone down slightly;

·  A scrutiny review on adoption was currently being undertaken by the Children’s Services Select Committee and the outcome would be reported to the Assembly in due course; and

·  Visits at a minimum frequency of six weeks to children for the first year of being in care had dropped by 17.5%. Work had been undertaken to stablise the service and the key focus was in ensuring visits were made and tracked.

The Assembly resolved to note the 2015/16 Annual Report of the Member Corporate Parenting Group.