The Corporate Parenting Panel met on 20 March 2024 to discuss the Annual Report of the Virtual School and review performance data. Key decisions included agreeing the Virtual School's report and priorities, and a commitment to further updates on improvements to the duty system and pathway plans.

Annual Report of the Virtual School

The panel agreed the Annual Report of the Virtual School for 2022/2023 and reviewed the key priorities for the Access to Education Service. The report highlighted that the Virtual School cohort remained similar in size to previous years, with over 70% of learners aged 15-19. Key achievements included a record number of 26 learners attaining places at higher education institutions. The report also noted that no primary-aged children in care were permanently excluded during the 2022-23 academic year. The agreed priorities for the Access to Education Service, which underpin the Virtual School's operations, are:

• Ensuring Croydon's schools become more inclusive by working with the Local Authority's Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Directorate, including Children's Social Care, on issues of race, equalities, and safeguarding.
• Ensuring all vulnerable pupils and young people are supported in their education, training, and employment settings to make progress towards better educational outcomes.
• Ensuring training, advice, and guidance are available to all Croydon settings for the inclusion of the most vulnerable.

Performance Report

The panel reviewed the Performance Report for February 2024, which included updates on various indicators related to children in care and care-experienced young people.

Improvements to the Duty System: Practitioners in the Children in Care and Care Experienced Young People teams are updating their email signatures to include line manager and duty contact details. A standard out-of-office message has also been implemented for staff on leave, providing the same information. For absences exceeding one week, Team Managers will contact children on the practitioner's caseload to inform them of arrangements. The panel sought an update on the effectiveness of the duty system, noting that clear direction has been provided and that conversations with young people and families during normal contact are expected. The importance of ensuring young people do not have to wait for their social worker or personal assistant to return from leave was stressed. An action was agreed for the panel to receive a further update on improvements to the duty system at the next meeting.

Pathway Plans: Issues surrounding Pathway Plans are being addressed, though this is expected to take time due to complexity and legacy issues. The council is working with Islington Council, who have suggested improvements to Croydon's Pathway Plan tool. The panel was informed that the average improvement journey for these plans is around two years. A cultural shift is needed for team managers to feel confident in declining to sign off inadequate Pathway Plans or missing timescales. The service is under increased scrutiny, with the Chief Executive attending some performance meetings. An update on Pathway Plans will be provided at future meetings.

Adoption Indicators (AD0-AD9): The panel's attention was drawn to adoption indicators AD0 to AD9, which showed strong performance. A new team has been formed to focus strategically on adoptions, contributing to this improved performance. It was agreed that the Performance Report will continue to include these adoption indicators in future meetings.

Health Assessments: The performance report indicated a fall in health assessments completed within 20 days after a child became looked after, standing at 25%. While October showed a better performance of 73%, this figure did not reflect the work done with children placed in Croydon by other boroughs, nor did it prioritise Croydon children. Health services are to be prioritised for Croydon children.

Update on Protected Characteristic Working Group

A verbal update was provided on the Protected Characteristic Working Group. The first young person's group had met, with the next session scheduled for March 2024. Feedback from young people highlighted the importance of the opt-in option, concerns about resentment from others, and the potential for carrying additional labels. Young people also questioned the relevance of this work at their current stage of life. The group plans to include young people up to the age of 25 in future meetings. The Chair requested that the Subject Matter Expert investigate providing more information on protected characteristics to young people and encouraged officers to learn from other councils' experiences. The Head of Safeguarding and Wellbeing for Croydon College offered to collaborate on promoting future meetings. A survey is being developed for care-experienced adults aged 18 and over, with feedback from initial consultations informing its approach. The panel was informed that the contract for the Care Leavers app is with the legal team, and the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) has been completed.

Update from Children's Participation Team & Children in Care Council

The Children's Participation Team reported that 14 active ambassadors are set to receive their first payment, and recruitment is ongoing. Ambassadors are represented on all Corporate Parenting Panel Sub-Groups and have provided feedback on new Pathway Plans. A pilot participatory recording portal project has been launched, allowing ambassadors to record their own journeys directly into their files. Ambassadors attended the Pan London Forum, where key takeaways included the need for improved consistency of social care services between boroughs, better representation, and efforts to reduce NEET levels for care-experienced young people. Discussions also covered transport and mental health services. Transport for London (TfL) will be launching a 50% discount on trams and buses for care-experienced young people under 25. The relaunch of the Care Experienced Forum is planned for April 2024, with sessions focusing on Corporate Parenting Strategy priorities and engaging children of all ages, including the use of 'AdvoCat' for primary-aged children. The panel praised the work of the ambassadors and the Children's Participation Team. Future engagement with the South West London Integrated Care Board (SWLICB) and NHS England is planned to address health inequalities faced by care-experienced young people.

Education, Employment & Training Sub-Group Discussion

The Education, Employment & Training Sub-Group met recently, with three ambassadors present. Key themes emerging from discussions on improving education, employment, and training for care-experienced young people were Decision Making, Transitions, and Communication. The Sub-Group will develop an action plan based on these discussions and outline how success will be measured. The panel was informed about work on the virtual school, including a transition event in September 2023, and discussions about summer support for young people moving between schools and colleges. The possibility of adding a transitions page to the care leaver app is being considered. The importance of protecting young people's support networks and providing clear pathways for their ambitions was highlighted. The Care Leaver app contract is awaiting legal sign-off, with the DPIA completed.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Maria Gatland (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People), Councillors Amy Foster, Ian Parker, Helen Redfern, and Catherine Wilson, along with co-opted members and officers.