West Sussex County Council Corporate Parenting Strategy Introduction Every local authority has a duty to support birth families care for their children, this being the environment in which children have the best opportunity to thrive and the base from which they will make their way in the world. However for a small number of children their birth families are unable to provide the standard of care that they need. In these circumstances the local authority must make arrangements for the provision of substitute care. There are currently just over 60,000 children in the care of local authorities in England and Wales. Every day West Sussex County Council cares for around 760 children and young people for whom we hold a Corporate Parenting’ responsibility. The term Corporate Parenting applies to the manner in which each local authority undertakes it’s parenting responsibilities for looked after children (children in care). This applies to all aspects of parenting such as the provision of loving care, support for education, ensuring the best possible physical and emotional health and ensuring that a child’s overall life experience is one of happiness and they are well prepared to enter adult life. The overall principle when undertaking these responsibilities is that of ‘would this be good enough for my child’. Led by the Lead Member and Director for Children’s Services the parenting duties apply to all elected Members and staff together with key partners such as NHS West Sussex, Police and voluntary sector agencies. This Corporate Parenting Strategy broadly outlines how West Sussex County Council intends to meet these responsibilities which will then be actioned through annual business plans devised and monitored by the Corporate Parenting Management Group (CPMG) and subject to the scrutiny of The Children in Care Council and Corporate Parenting Panel. In West Sussex Every Child Matters In West Sussex we celebrate the diversity of our population and no more so than for our looked after children. In meeting all our corporate parenting responsibilities we will ensure that we will be responsive to the individual needs of each child and particularly those arising from any disability, a child’s culture and heritage and sexual orientation. 1
The West Sussex Pledge to our Looked After Children The objectives of the Corporate Parenting Strategy are contained within our Pledge which was written in response to the stated views of our looked after children who are members of the Children in Care Council. It can be noted that these are fully compatible with the West Sussex Children and Young Peoples Plan that identifies the following 5 key priorities:‐ 
Children and Young People will have somewhere they can call home 
Parents and families will get the support they need 
Children and young people will have the support they need to achieve 
Children and young people will feel confident to learn and develop healthy lifestyles 
Children and young people will feel and be safe. The Pledge We promise that  All children will be returned to the care of their birth family when it is safe for them to do so and such will maximise their wellbeing.  If it is not possible for a child to return to the care of a birth parent we will seek to place a child within the extended birth family or close family friend as long as this will be safe and maximise their wellbeing.  If it is not possible to place a child within the family we will identify alternative adoptive or other permanent or long‐term carers able to fully meet the care needs of the individual child. Relevant contact with birth family members will be maintained as long as this is what they want and it is in the best interests of the child to do so.  All plans will be made taking into account the individual needs of the child and particularly any arising from any disability or their heritage and culture  Children will be placed as close as possible to their family, local peers and school where this is safe.  All looked after children will go on a holiday every year, have a passport and a savings account.  Every looked after child will have a named social worker who will ensure that their wishes and feelings are known and considered in all aspects of their Care Plan.  All looked after children will have a designated Independent Reviewing Officer who will discuss their Care Plan with them and make sure that their wishes and feelings are known and demonstrate how this is reflected in their Care Plan. 2
 All looked after children will be helped to learn in an age appropriate way. All children will have a place in a school best able to meet their needs and have their own Personal Education Plan that details how this will be achieved.  All looked after children will be registered with a Doctor and Dentist and helped to lead a healthy lifestyle. Each child will have an individual health plan and be provided with the services that maximise their physical and emotional wellbeing.  Every child will have a Pathway Plan at the age of 16 to ensure that they are advised and supported towards successful independence. The Pledge is signed by the Director for Children Services, the Lead Member (as Lead Member and as the Chairman of the Children’s Trust), and the Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel. 3
Business Plan for 2011/12 In Order for the above to be achieved the Corporate Parenting Panel has identified the following core tasks to be addressed within the 2011/12 Corporate Parenting Management Group Business Plan. Objective Action Lead Officer Date Corporate responsibility to be shared by all Directorates All Directorates to have a designated Officer for Corporate Parenting Chief Executive 30/10/2011 All Members will demonstrate their commitment to our looked after children in the completion of all council business The Corporate Parenting Panel will maintain oversight of all provision of information to Members and the conduct of Council business that may impact on looked after children Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel 31/05/2011 Develop a work programme which covers all aspects of Corporate Parenting with a particular focus on priority issues in the first six months A standing agenda to be developed reflecting key actions from the 2010 Ofsted report with particular reference to participation of children and improved education outcomes Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel 31/05/2011 Members of the Corporate Parenting Panel have a comprehensive understanding of the needs of our looked after children There will be 5 seminars delivered on the 5 Every Child Matters objectives and how these are met in relation to our looked after children Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel and Chair of the Corporate Parenting Management Group Commencing July 2011 The Every Child Matters outcomes for minority groups of looked after children are responded to A benchmarking exercise to be completed in relation to outcomes for minority groups of Director of Children’s Services 30/09/2011 4
according to the specific needs of the child children in comparison to our looked after population and national cohorts. Report to include recommendations to address development and progress. The health of looked after children to be a designated priority within the NHS West Sussex Business Plan A Designated Doctor is Chief Executive of NHS appointed and tasked West Sussex with acting as NHS West Sussex champion for the health of looked after children 30/08/2011 All looked after children live in a safe and nurturing home We have sufficient placements to meet the range of needs of our children and this is confirmed within our Sufficiency Statement 2011/12 Director of Children’s Services Annually by 1st September. Children are enabled to achieve their full educational potential All looked after children of statutory school age will have a place in a school best able to meet their needs. Director of Children’s Services 01/09/2011 and thereafter at the beginning of each academic year. They will have a high quality Personal Education Plan Children’s participation The Children in Care Director of Children’s is evidenced in service Council to have Services developments increased membership and institute Exit interviews for children leaving care By 01/09/2011 Planning and decision making is based on accurate data and management 31/05/2011 Performance monitoring will be provided by a single comprehensive Head of Improvement 5
information monthly report Consistent standards of good practice will be maintained within a clear framework for compliance. Examples of good Head of Improvement practice to be collected and disseminated and practice improvement consistently and effectively addressed. 31/05/2011 6
Governance Arrangements The Children in Care Council Every local authority must have a Children in Care Council with a core membership of looked after children who will advise Members and senior officers with regard to how best to meet the needs of looked after children. Our Children in Care Council has been in existence since 2008 and we are currently working on increasing the membership and making better use of technology to aid communication with them. The Duties of all Council Members All Members have been made aware of their Corporate Parenting Responsibilities and each has a signed charter within which they promise to ensure that they will be mindful of their Corporate Parenting responsibilities in all their work as a Council Member. A copy of the charter can be found in Appendix 1. The Corporate Parenting Panel The Corporate Parenting Panel is the strategic elected member group which provides leadership and direction to the Council and partners on their corporate parenting responsibilities’ and as such takes lead responsibility for ensuring that there is a multi agency action plan that will address the objectives identified within this Strategy. The Panel will regularly consult with the Children in Care Council to ensure that developments are in line with the wishes and feelings of our looked after children and report to full Council twice a year to update all Members on the progress being made. A copy of the membership and Terms of Reference can be found in Appendix 2. The Duties of the Lead Member and Director of Children’s Services Every local authority must appoint a Director and Lead Member for Children’s Services (The Children Act 2004 Sections 18 and 19). They are responsible for the overall development of service provision to all children and their families within the local authority. They must also take the lead responsibility in ensuring that all the partners within and working alongside the Council must cooperate in meeting the Corporate Parenting responsibilities. The Corporate Parenting Management Group The Head of Safeguarding chairs this Group with a membership drawn from senior and middle managers mainly from Children’s Services but also from Health. Each Council Directorate is required to appoint a senior manager who will attend meetings of this Group as is relevant to their service. The standing membership and Terms of Reference for this Group can be found in Appendix 3. 7
The Legal and Policy Framework There is an internationally understood framework for the manner in which all countries should ensure that the care of children is maximised with this being best described within:‐ The European Convention on Human Rights (Amended 2010) with particular reference to Article 8 and The UN Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989 with particular reference to Articles 9 and 10. The Primary legislation that outlines the Roles and Responsibilities of local authorities in relation to looked after children is:‐ The Children Act 1989 The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 The Adoption and Children Act 2002 The Children Act 2004 The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review 2010. Further Reading National Guidance relating to Corporate Parenting can be found in: ‐ If This Were My Child…A councillors guide to being a good corporate parent (DfES 2003) Putting Corporate Parenting into Practice (NCB 2008) Additional information is also available from the Department of Education website by searching the titles Every Child Matters and Care Matters: Time for Change. 8
The Ofsted Inspection 2010 In 2010 the Ofsted assessment of service provision for looked after children in West Sussex was ‘Adequate’. What we do well 
Long term stability of placements is improving and we have good numbers of children placed for adoption 
Children are positive about their safety 
We have a well established Children in Care Council 
Asylum seeking children are well supported However there were some key headline issues that need to be addressed as follows:‐ 
Children felt that Social Workers didn’t always keep their promises 
There is a need to increase the capacity of the Corporate Parenting Panel and improve monitoring of performance 
There is a need for educational outcomes for looked after children to improve 
A Designated Doctor must be identified to take the lead role in developing health service provision for looked after children 
We must ensure that children are always placed in suitable accommodation 
We must evidence how the views of children are making a difference to service developments These issues will each be addressed within the Business Plan for the Corporate Parenting Management Group for 2011/12. Appendices 1. Corporate Parenting Charter 2. Corporate Parenting Panel Membership and Terms of Reference 3. Corporate Parenting Management Group Membership and Terms of Reference 9