Corporate Parenting Strategy and Action Plan
2016 – 2018
Foreword
Welcome to South Lanarkshire’s Corporate Parenting Strategy
and Action Plan 2016 – 2018
Children and young people who are looked after and care leavers are some of the most vulnerable in our
society. These children and young people, whose needs we are responsible for, have become looked after
for a range of reasons. They have often experienced some form of abuse, neglect and trauma prior to
their becoming looked after.
In South Lanarkshire, the effective safeguarding of the wellbeing and upholding the rights of looked
after children, young people and care leavers is one of our most important responsibilities. We will strive
to intervene early to prevent children from becoming looked after. Where children are looked after, we
will provide high quality services for each child and young person. In doing so, we strive to reduce the
inequalities experienced by them.
Successful corporate parenting requires passion, commitment, partnership working and engagement
across all agencies. It requires everyone, from the head of organisations to front line practitioners, to take
a proactive approach to better understand their corporate parenting responsibilities and improve their
practice accordingly. We need to work together to enable looked after children, young people and care
leavers to be, and feel, nurtured, listened to and supported to achieve their individual potential.
Although previous corporate parenting across many agencies has already brought about significant
positive change and outcomes for looked after children, we need to do more at both a strategic and
operational level, with a clear interface between the two.
This strategy and action plan sets out our key aspirations for these children and young people and how
we intend to achieve them. The new legislation in terms of the Children and Young People (Scotland)
Act 2014 provides us with a clear direction of travel and we will ensure that the care journeys and
outcomes of our children and young people are as positive as we can make them. Each day we need to
ask ourselves, what more can I do to improve this person’s life and future chances?
Lindsay Freeland
Liam Purdie
Calum Campbell
Chief Executive of
South Lanarkshire Council
Head of Children and
Justice Services
Chief Executive of
NHS Lanarkshire
Introduction
1.1. Getting it Right for South Lanarkshire’s Children and Families –
Our Vision:
We aim to ensure that children, young people and their families get the help they need, when they
need it. Our vision is to ensure that children and young people live in a community where they are safe,
healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included.
1.2. Definition of corporate parenting
South Lanarkshire embraces the definition as laid out in the Scottish Government’s Corporate Parenting
Guidance (2015) as:
An organisation’s performance of actions necessary to uphold the rights and safeguard the
wellbeing of a looked after child or care leaver and through which physical, emotional, spiritual,
social and educational development is promoted.
Throughout this document the term looked after children refers to all children, young people and care
leavers, regardless of their placement type.
1.3 Duties and responsibilities
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 established a framework of duties and
responsibilities for relevant public bodies requiring them to be systematic and proactive in their efforts to
meet the needs of looked after children and care leavers.
Part 9 (Section 58) sets out the ‘responsibilities’ of corporate parents towards children and young people.
These ‘responsibilities’ are legal duties which every corporate parent must fulfil. The six duties are:
1. Being alert to matters which, or which might, adversely affect the wellbeing of looked after
children and care leavers;
2. Assessing the needs of those children and young people for services and support they
provide;
3. Promoting the interests of those children and young people;
4. Seeking to provide looked after children and care leavers with opportunities to participate in
activities designed to promote their wellbeing;
5. Taking action to help looked after children and care leavers:
• access opportunities to improve wellbeing and
• make use of services, and access the support, which they provide; and
6. Taking any other action to improve the way in which it exercises the Corporate Parenting
functions.
A wide range of legislation, regulation and guidance provide the framework within which actions take
place, but the end-purpose of them all is the same: to secure nurturing, positive childhoods, from which
these vulnerable children and young people can develop into successful learners, confident individuals,
responsible citizens and effective contributors.
1.4 What does it mean to be a corporate parent?
When a child or young person becomes looked after, the responsibility for their parenting becomes the
duty of everyone working for the Council and partner agencies, and not just those working directly
within Children’s Services. The Act lists all organisations that are corporate parents and provides direction
to make sure they are clear about their duties. For South Lanarkshire a list of the corporate parents is
shown in Appendix 1.
Corporate parents will want the same outcomes for their looked after children as any parent would want
for their own children. They will take responsibility for securing the wellbeing of all looked after children.
They will recognise the poorer outcomes of looked after children and work together more effectively to
remove the inequality which many looked after children and young people experience throughout their
care journeys and beyond.
We must take a strategic, child-centred approach to service delivery and shift the emphasis from
corporate to parenting, taking all actions necessary to promote and support the health and wellbeing
of a child from infancy to adulthood.
The specific intention of the Corporate Parenting Strategy is to widen the ownership of responsibility for
looked after children to key partners within the statutory and voluntary sectors. The priority will be to
engage staff in corporate parenting awareness raising as well as specific training inputs to ensure they are
aware of their responsibilities and are supported to take this forward into the workplace.
1.5 Who are looked after children and care leavers?
From March 2015, the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 brought about specific changes to
help achieve better permanence planning for looked after children. Corporate parenting responsibilities
extend to all looked after children from birth to when they cease to be looked after. This includes
children in foster care, residential care, secure care, looked after at home on compulsory supervision
orders and those in formal kinship care. It also includes children with a disability who are looked after
during short break provision.
In terms of those eligible for aftercare, the new act introduced a range of new provisions for Continuing
Care and Aftercare. All young people in residential, foster or kinship care born after April 1999 will have
a right to stay in foster, kinship or residential care until the age of 21. This will be known as a new legal
status of Continuing Care. The right to Aftercare support, and all corporate parenting duties, will be
available to all care leavers and will be extended to all until their 26th birthday.
1.6 What do we know about our looked after children in
South Lanarkshire?
South Lanarkshire is committed to ensuring that, where appropriate and taking into account their needs
and wishes, children are cared for within a family setting either within their own families or within a
foster care setting. Some children with more complex needs are unable to live within a family and require
a residential care setting.
Over the last four years South Lanarkshire has had an average of 649 looked after children and care
leavers. See Appendix 2 for breakdown of figures.
As at 31 July 2014 there were 665 looked after children and care leavers. As at 31 July 2015, this had
reduced to 615, representing a reduction of 50 (7.5%) from last year. The breakdown is as follows:
• 178 (33%) were at home with parents;
• 110 (20%) were with friends/relatives;
• 172 (31%) were with foster carers;
• 18 (3%) were with prospective adopters;
• 70 (13%) were looked after in residential houses, schools and secure; and
• 67 young people were eligible for aftercare services.
2 Current position
2.1 How did we get here?
South Lanarkshire’s first Corporate Parenting Policy: “These are our Bairns, Behave Corporately, Think Like
a Parent” (2009) identified key areas of work, e.g. early intervention, partnership working, placement
stability, improving outcomes, transitions and listening to the voices of children and young people.
In order to identify the key improvement priorities to be achieved over the next two years, evidence has
been drawn from:
• A review of the 2010 – 2014 Action Plan;
• Views of children, young people and care leavers;
• Consultation events with all partners;
• Feedback from the Children’s Services inspection report of 2015; and
• Children and Young People Act (Scotland) Act 2014.
Although we are making some positive progress with and for our looked after children, the above
evidence has highlighted the need for us to improve across a range of our corporate parenting
responsibilities. In particular:• streamlining and improving our planning and assessment processes to be more consistent and
outcome focused
• improving our data collection and knowledge base, working together to identify needs and
shared priorities
• strengthening our approach to early and effective intervention making best use of collective resources
South Lanarkshire has a well trained workforce with a wealth of talent across all agencies and whose
work involves a very broad range of approaches and goals. This Corporate Parenting Strategy and Action
Plan provides a framework for the next stage of planning which will help us to work more strategically
and evidence how we plan to and actually improve the lifelong outcomes of looked after children.
2.2 What do we want to achieve?
Using all the evidence from above and taking account of the new duties under Part 9 of the Children
and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, partners have come together to identify the best possible way
forward for our looked after children. In order to achieve this, we have agreed the following six Core
Commitments for the next two years to give clear strategic direction to all partners:
Core Commitments
Core Commitment 1
Corporate Parents will fulfil their responsibilities, listen
and respond to the voices of children and families/carers
• We can only be confident that our services are as effective
as they can be when they are shaped by the voices of the
children, young people and care leavers
• We will ensure that all corporate parents understand their
responsibilities and fulfil these through planning, practice and
resource allocation
Core Commitment 2
Every child will have a Child’s Plan which will be regularly
reviewed within agreed timescales
• We will work together to achieve the best outcomes for
each child through responsive, consistent and high quality
assessment, planning and review
Core Commitment 3
Clear pathways and support will be provided through all
key transition stages
• We are committed to ensuring that all transitions from
birth to young adulthood will be well planned and children
and care leavers will experience safe, secure and stable
placements, with as few moves as possible
Core Commitment 4
Children and young people will be supported to improve
their physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing
• We are committed to improving health outcomes and
reducing the inequality gap
Core Commitment 5
All children will be treated fairly, have equality of
opportunity and have a sense of belonging in their
learning environment
• We are committed to improving educational outcomes and
reducing the inequality gap
Core Commitment 6
Young people moving into adulthood will be supported to
achieve their full potential in life
• We are committed to ensuring that young people are
supported in terms of health, housing, education, training,
employment, relationships and the best lifelong chances
2.3 How will we achieve this?
The six Core Commitments provide a clear framework to achieve the planned improvements. The
attached Action Plan for 2016 – 2018 shows clear action areas to achieve the planned improvements.
The Corporate Parenting Sub Group will continue to challenge and support corporate parents to fulfil
their responsibilities and duties. Clear reporting processes have been put in place and the Getting it
Right for South Lanarkshire’s Children’s Partnership Board has Corporate Parenting as a standing item
on the agenda.
Continuous consultation will take place with looked after children and their families and carers in order
to influence and shape policy and services at a local level, across all types of placement. This will help all
corporate parents to develop a better understanding of their needs and to respond effectively.
The Realigning Children’s Services two year programme is currently being undertaken by a multi-agency
Task and Finish Group in collaboration with the Scottish Government. This will provide a thorough
strategic needs analysis for South Lanarkshire’s children and families by 2017. This will enable us to be
in an even stronger position to build on our strategic planning to target resources to meet the identified
needs of looked after children.
3Governance
3.1Structure
This Strategy and Action Plan has a two year life and aligns with the broader framework of the Single
Outcome Agreement (SOA) and Partnership Improvement Plan (PIP) for Children’s Services. The
Corporate Parenting Sub Group is responsible for demonstrating improved outcomes for our looked after
population. The action plan will be evaluated and updated annually, reporting directly to the Getting it
Right for South Lanarkshire’s Children Strategy Group. The revised Governance Structure is shown on
Appendix 3.
Each day we need to ask ourselves,
what more can I do to improve this
person’s life and future chances?
Action plan
Core Commitment 1: Corporate Parents will fulfil their responsibilities and listen and
respond to the voices of children and families/carers
We can only be confident that our services are as effective as they can be when they
are shaped by the voices of the children, young people and care leavers
We will ensure that all corporate parents understand their responsibilities and fulfil
these through planning, practice and resource allocation
Outcome:
• Children, young people and their families participate in decisions
which affect them
• Increased understanding of corporate parenting responsibilities
Agreed Action(s)
Lead
Officer
Timescale
1.1
Champion the
Corporate Parenting
Strategy through the
Getting It Right for
South Lanarkshire
Children’s Partnership
Board
Corporate
Parenting to be a
standing item on
the agenda for the
Board
Child and
Family
Manager
Children are given
specific opportunities
to influence and shape
policy and services at
a local level, including
receiving feedback
on their ideas and
contributions
May 2016
1.2
Enhance structures
and systems to gather,
record and report on
views of all looked after
children
Children’s views
captured in
planning processes,
within the Young
Voice Groups and
other forums
Child and
Family
Manager
Looked after children
report feeling listened
to and involved
in their care and
pathway planning.
This is reflected in the
partnership priorities
and reported on
annually
Dec 2016
1.3
Provide meaningful and
regular engagement
with parents, foster
and kinship carers
using existing forums
or, where necessary
developing new ones
Corporate parents
evidence activity
and progress in
reporting cycle,
building on existing
forums
Child and
Family
Manager
Service planning
demonstrates that
their views are
reflected in the
partnership priorities
and reported on
annually
Dec 2016
1.4
Deliver a rolling
programme of
training and
communication activity
to raise awareness of
corporate parenting
responsibilities for all
partners
Numbers
of partners
participating and
range of agencies
engaged
All members
of Corporate
Parenting Sub
Group
All partners are
clear about their
Corporate Parenting
responsibilities and
how their own role
contributes to this
Aug 2016
Core Commitment 2: Every child will have a Child’s Plan which will be regularly
reviewed within agreed timescales
We will work together to achieve the best outcomes for each child through
responsive, consistent and high quality assessment, planning and review
Outcome:
• Individualised plans are in place that safeguard each child’s wellbeing needs
Agreed Action(s)
Lead
Officer
Timescale
2.1
Streamline existing
Looked After Child
and Education review
processes into a single
system
100% of all
children will be
reviewed within
a single system,
complying with
statutory guidance
and timescales
Child and
Family
Manager
Co-ordinated
assessment, planning
and review activity
delivers better
outcomes.
Single service
operational from
August 2016
Oct 2016
2.2
All children looked
after at home and
within kinship care will
have an active Child’s
Plan which is regularly
reviewed
100% Child’s Plans
in place
Child and
Family
Services
Manager
Regular reviews
demonstrate
continuous assessment
and review, providing
more opportunities
to support children
achieve their potential
Jan 2017
100% of plans
reviewed on a
minimum of a six
monthly basis
Jan 2017
It only takes one worker to make a
difference - it’s all about support
Core Commitment 3: Clear pathways and support will be provided at all key
transition stages
We are committed to ensuring that all transitions from birth to young adulthood will
be well planned and children will experience safe, secure and stable placements, with
as few moves as possible
Outcome:
• Planning processes for key transitions are more streamlined and effective
Agreed Action(s)
3.1
Map the key transition
stages from birth to
young adulthood,
identifying areas for
improvement
Lead
Officer
Multi-agency
process map and
report produced
showing existing
planning pathways
and identifying
areas for
improvement
Area
Manager:
Integrated
Children’s
Services
(Hamilton and
Blantyre)
Timescale
Children experience
a greater degree
of continuity and
consistency of
support pre and post
transitions
Sep 2016
Children, young people
and stakeholders
identify areas for
improvement at all key
transition stages from
0 – 26 years
3.2
Reduce the number
of placement moves
within foster and
residential care
Year on year
reduction in
placement moves
using 2014 – 2-15
CLAS (Children
Looked After
Survey) data as
baseline
Child and
Family
Manager
Children experience
good, stable
placements
Jul 2017
3.3
Improve timescales for
securing permanence
Year on year
improvement using
2014 – 2015 data
as baseline
Child and
Family
Services
Manager
Children requiring
permanence do so
with minimum of
delay
Jul 2017
My workers have put me on the right path
Core Commitment 4: Children and young people will be supported to improve their
physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing
We are committed to improving health outcomes and reducing the inequality gap
Outcome:
• Improved health and wellbeing
• Health inequalities gap is reduced
Agreed Action(s)
4.1
Lead
Officer
Timescale
All looked after
children will be offered
a comprehensive
Health Needs
Assessment (HNA)
of their physical,
developmental,
emotional and mental
health needs
% of statutory
health assessments
completed
within 28 days of
notification
Lead Nurse
Consultant
for Adult
and Child
Protection
Children’s health
needs are assessed
and reflected in the
Child’s Plan
Jul 2016
4.2
Establish database to
support monitoring
and reporting
requirements
Performance
around notification,
assessments,
information
sharing, breaches,
health data will be
available
Lead Nurse
Consultant
for Adult
and Child
Protection
Quality assurance
in terms of service
provision will be
undertaken and
reported
Jul 2016
4.3
Increase partnership
working to remove
barriers and promote
and sustain access
to sport, leisure and
cultural activities for all
children
Partners evidence
progress and
increased uptake of
activities
South
Lanarkshire
Leisure/Child
and Family
Manager
Children have
opportunities to access
and participate in
activities to promote
their wellbeing
Dec 2016
Appropriate
interventions to
address health needs
will be undertaken
Increased numbers
of children accessing
sports, leisure and
cultural activities
Give me more opportunities to do hobbies
Core Commitment 5: All children will be treated fairly, have equality of opportunity
and have a sense of belonging in their learning environment
We are committed to improving educational outcomes and reducing the inequality gap
Outcome:
• Education establishments work proactively to close the attainment gap
and celebrate success
Agreed Action(s)
5.1
5.2
5.3
Lead
Officer
Education
establishments continue
to improve attendance
and reduce exclusions
for looked after pupils
in order to increase
levels of participation
Increase %
attendance rates
from the 2014
– 15 figure of
83.5%
Provide further
guidance to every
school’s Designated
Manager (for looked
after children) in line
with legislation to
ensure the needs of
looked after pupils
are identified and
supported in order to
improve achievement
and attainment
Quality assure
Additional Support
Plans
Provide learning
opportunities to
enhance skills,
confidence and wider
achievement
Year on year
improvement using
2015 – 2016 data
as baseline
Timescale
Quality
Improvement
Officer:
Inclusion
Increased attendance
and reduced exclusions
will support an
improvement in
achievement and
attainment
Aug 2017
Quality
Improvement
Officer:
Inclusion
Additional Support
Plans identify needs
and demonstrate
improvements in
achievement and
attainment
Aug 2017
Reduce the %
exclusions in
ASN provisions
for pupils who
are looked after
from 2014 – 2015
figure of 2.45%
Challenge
and support
establishments
regarding high
aspirations for
looked after
children, using data
to support this
Improvements in
recording information
on SEEMis
Youth
Learning
Services
Youth Learning,
Designated Managers
and broader corporate
parenting partners
work together to
identify and support
young people to
participate in a range
of opportunities,
including Duke
of Edinburgh,
Links2Life and Youth
Achievement Awards
Dec 2016
Core Commitment 6: Young people moving into adulthood will be supported to
achieve their full potential in life
We are committed to ensuring that young people are supported in terms of health,
housing, education, training, employment, relationships and the best lifelong chances
Outcome:
• More young people will access and maintain positive post-school destinations
• More young people will access and sustain accommodation that meets their needs
when they move on from being looked after
• More young people will choose continuing care as an option
Agreed Action(s)
6.1
Increase access to
dedicated support
pre and post school
transition in relation to
education, employment
and training
Lead
Officer
Timescale
Increase % of
young people
aged 16 – 19
participating
in education,
employment or
training from the
current figure of
68%
Head
Teachers
and Service
Manager
Integrated
Children’s
Services and
Community
Learning
Care leavers
experience positive
transitions from
school to post school
provision
Jun 2017
Monitoring and
tracking systems
in place to support
young people to
sustain provision and
to progress to further
opportunities
6.2
All corporate
parents will provide
work experience,
apprenticeships
and employment
opportunities.
Annual report
produced
evidencing
opportunities and
take up
Service
Manager
Integrated
Children’s
Services and
Community
Learning
Annual report
indicates range of
opportunities, success
and any areas for
improvement
Jun 2017
6.3
Analyse impact of
Children and Young
People (Scotland) Act
2014 in terms of new
service demands for
Continuing Care and
Aftercare
Options appraisal
produced making
recommendations
for development
of new or
reconfiguration of
existing services
Head of
Children
and Justice
Services
Corporate Parents will
be compliant with the
new legislation and
direct resources to
meet requirements
Jun 2016
Young people will
have the access
to a range of
accommodation and
support to suit their
needs
Appendix 1
South Lanarkshire Corporate Parents
This publication has not been printed to save paper. However, if you require a printed copy
or a copy in an alternative format and/or language, please contact us to discuss your needs.
The Children’s Panel – life changing.
9
I would like better communication
with my corporate parents
Appendix 2
Listen to me more
Keep me safe
Appendix 3
Governance Structure for Children’s Services – March 2016
Community Planning Partnership
(Single Outcome Agreement)
Public Protection
Chief Officer Group
Getting it Right for South
Lanarkshire’s Children’s
Partnership Board
Getting it Right for South
Lanarkshire’s Children’s
Strategy Group
Child Protection
Committee
Continuous Improvement
Group
Quality Assurance
Group (CPC)
GIRFEC
Transformation
Group
Corporate
Parenting
Substance
Misuse
GIRFEC Locality
Planning Groups
Hamilton, Blantyre
and Larkhall
Clydesdale
Cambuslang and
Rutherglen
East Kilbride and
Strathaven
Task and Finish Groups
Realigning
Children’s
Service
EY
Coordination
Group
YP Mental
Health
For further information on South Lanarkshire’s Corporate Parenting Strategy and Action Plan,
please contact:
Liz Lafferty, Child and Family Manager
Phone: 01698 453943 or Email: [email protected]
Bernie Perrie, Planning and Performance Manager
Phone: 01698 453749 or Email: [email protected]
If you need this information in another language or format, please contact
us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone: 0303 123 1015
Email: [email protected]
www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Produced for Social Work Resources by Communications and Strategy. 029268/Jul16