Issue - meetings

To accept and note the information in the report which reports on the work of the Corporate Parent Panel for the year 2022-23.

The report was submitted by Cllr Elin Walker Jones

DECISION

To accept and note the information in the report which reports on the work of the Corporate Parent Panel for the year 2022-23.

DISCUSSION

Cyngor Gwynedd and its partners have a clear responsibility to be a Corporate Parent for every child in the Council's care, and specifically to ensure effective, stable, safe and suitable care for looked after children and young people, including those who are leaving care. Section 3.1 of the forward programme was corrected to reiterate this and it was noted that the Report reported on the work that had been completed to ensure that the Council undertook this responsibility.

It was confirmed that Cyngor Gwynedd took this responsibility very seriously and it was explained that the Chief Executive was the Chair of the Corporate Parent Panel. Attention was drawn to the fact that this report detailed the work carried out between April 2022 and March 2023 and noted current information about the numbers of looked after children and the support given to those children as well as outlining the intention for the future.

It was reported that 25% of the children who came into care during the year 2022-23 were Asylum Seekers through the Home Office Transfer Scheme, as the Council accepted 15 children through the scheme.

Concern was expressed about the Home Office Transfer Scheme as the child was not placed at the centre of their processes. It was explained that there were no discussions in advance to meet the needs of the child, to assess whether Gwynedd was a suitable location for their needs. It was recognised that it was very challenging to find a suitable location for the children as they did not want to stay in Gwynedd very often, and longed to be in the big cities. It was explained that individuals over the age of 16 could be looked after in a supported accommodation setting, but if the children were under 16 they had to have a foster placement. It was updated that the Home Office expected local authorities to place the children within five working days of receiving the referral. It was emphasised that this was not possible and as a result, in one case, the child had to be placed in Kent while officers found a more suitable placement, local to Gwynedd. It was reported that these problems which arose as part of the Transfer Scheme occurred throughout Wales.

The numbers of Asylum Seekers in each county in the north were confirmed (in accordance with information received in summer 2023, for a period of eight cycles) as follows:

·       Wrexham County Borough Council - 2 children

·       Conwy County Borough Council - 3 children

·       Isle of Anglesey County Council - 4 children

·       Denbighshire County Council - 7 children

·       Cyngor Gwynedd - 9 children

·       Flintshire County Council - 11 children

This was compared with other locations in Wales such as Carmarthenshire (12 children), Newport (1 child), Swansea (3 children) and Cardiff (1 child).  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8