Caring for our children and young people: corporate parenting update 2018 to 2021

Chapter 4: Corporate Parenting Activities of Scotland’s local authorities

Introduction

In this chapter we review the corporate parenting activities of Scotland’s local authorities between 2018 and 2021. The chapter is based on the survey responses provided by 30 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities^[13], with the survey asking corporate parents about their corporate parenting activities, the impact of these, and the extent to which children, young people and other corporate parents have been involved in their design and delivery.

Alert

It is the duty of every corporate parent to be alert to matters which, or which might, adversely affect the wellbeing of children and young people.

We found that local authorities were alert to the matters affecting the wellbeing of children and young people via a number of different of routes. Furthermore, these different routes had become more established between 2018 and 2021, so helping to strengthen the understanding of corporate parenting among local authorities and other local staff. The main routes to boost awareness and understanding were:

• Corporate parenting training for staff.
• Establishing (Young People’s) Champions Boards.
• Multi-agency Corporate Parenting Boards – with care experienced children and young people’s voice and representation on these.
• Events and activities led by care experienced children and young people.
• Dedicated corporate parenting or children’s rights jobs and roles.
• Care experienced children and young people’s input to recruitment.
• Use of data and intelligence.
• Use of smartphone apps.
• Surveys and research focused on experiences of care.

Activities

Corporate parenting training for staff

Local authorities have continued to provide corporate parenting training for new and existing staff, with more e-learning options being developed to help widen access to the training.

Local authorities are also delivering training that extends beyond corporate parenting into important related themes and concepts, such as:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Trauma-informed practice
• Nurture
• Mental health
• Strengths-based practice (e.g. Signs of Safety programme)
• Dyadic Developmental Practice
• Mentoring (via MCR Pathways)
• In delivering the training, some local authorities reported:
• Care experienced children and young people were directly involved in its design and delivery
• Use of ongoing support and coaching, rather than one-off training events

Spotlight

In Dundee, educational psychologists provide ongoing support to staff in children’s houses to increase knowledge and understanding of issues affecting children and young people, for example trauma.

In Glasgow, and in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland, corporate parenting learning and education programmes (including e-learning module) have been developed.

In Glasgow, The How Nurturing Is Our Children’s House programme helps staff to support children in children’s houses in line with education nurture principles.

In Perth & Kinross, a virtual and hard copy Corporate Parenting toolkit has been developed by young people in association with Perth College design students.

Activities

Establishing Champions Boards

Champions Boards (or ‘Champs Boards’) have been established in most local authorities, often with support and funding from Life Changes Trust. Champions Boards provide a space for care experienced children and young people to express their views, ask questions and be listened to by senior members of staff and elected members.

Spotlight

In some local authorities, Champions Boards for younger children have been set up, such as ‘Little Fix’ in Moray, ‘Mini Champs’ in East Renfrewshire, ‘Little Champs’ in Highland and ‘Mini Clacks Voices’ in Clackmannanshire.

In West Dunbartonshire, the Champions Board have sub-groups of young people (‘Foster Care’, ‘Residential Houses’ and ‘Throughcare’ groups) who meet separately to discuss specific themes.

In East Renfrewshire, and working with In Control Scotland, the Champions Board embarked on a project to support young disabled people with care experience to be more included in their home life, local community, in decision making and in their local champions board.

Activities

Multi-agency Corporate Parenting Boards – with care experienced children and young people’s voice and representation

Multi-agency Corporate Parenting Boards (noting the name of the strategic grouping varies across Scotland) have been established in local authorities to bring together social work, education, health, housing, police, Children’s Reporter, third sector and other partners to share intelligence, identify priorities for action, and provide leadership.In some local authorities:

• Multi-agency sub-groups have been established to support the strategic Corporate Parenting Boards around specific themes and needs
• Care experienced children and young people are supported to become members of the Boards, thus allowing their voices to be heard

In Argyll & Bute, its Joint Resources Group of operational and senior managers across education, health and social care meets monthly to monitor the progress of care experienced children and young people to identify individual or collective concerns and needs.

Spotlight

In West Lothian, a multi-agency sub-group was set up to identify young people at risk of homelessness, all of whom were care experienced. The group alerts the Corporate Parenting Board of the need for housing, outreach, financial, advocacy and other supports.

Actvities - Events and activities led by care experienced children and young people

Local authorities have led or supported:

• Festivals and conferences to build understanding of and celebrate the experience of care among staff, children and young people and wider communities
• Short films and drama productions led by children and young people that tell the stories and experiences of care
• Informal activities (such as alpaca trekking, go-karting, graffiti, pizza making, trampolining and walking football) involving children, young people and corporate parents that allow getting to know each other as individuals and equals

Spotlight

Hebridean Year of Care in 2021.

Two festivals of care in Shetland.

Films include ‘GRIT’ in Dundee; ‘Milestones’ in Perth & Kinross; and East Lothian’s Champions Groups’ films on Mental Health.

In Highland, working with drama and arts organisations to enable corporate parents to feel what it is like to be care experienced and the issues children and young people face.

Activities

Dedicated corporate parenting or children’s rights jobs and roles

Local authorities have created positions that are dedicated to listening to and promoting the voice of care experienced children and young people, so helping to ensure children’s rights are being upheld.

These positions have job titles that highlight their function in relation to:

• Corporate parenting
• Children’s rights, or
• The Promise

A number of local authorities stated that these positions are ring-fenced for and held by care experienced children and young people.

Spotlight

In Aberdeen, newly created Children’s Rights Development Assistants positions have been filled by those with lived experience. Their roles include working with young people across a range of looked after settings to understand and share their experiences with wider partners.

In Argyll & Bute, there is an established group of four children’s champions (all of whom are elected members) who have a particular responsibility for engaging with and listening to their care experienced children and young people.

In Glasgow, Promise keepers have been appointed in each Social Work team to ensure Social Workers are aware of their responsibilities in relation to The Promise.

In South Ayrshire, the position of a Corporate Parenting Lead Officer has been established.

Activities

Care experienced children and young people’s input to recruitment

Some local authorities have had care experienced children and young people as members of interview panels when recruiting new carers and staff (such as residential staff), and Children’s Hearing panel members.

Spotlight

In Angus, three care experienced advisors were involved in the design of a new children’s house and the recruitment of staff for it. They have also been involved in the recruitment of foster carers.

In Dundee, care experienced young people now play an active role in the recruitment of staff, with the key concept of ‘compassionate care’ embedded within the interview process.

Activities

Use of data and intelligence

With connections to the ‘Improve’ duty, many local authorities have developed statistical data sets focused on care experienced children and young people. Spanning data from social work, education, housing and other service area, the data is then analysed for emerging trends and acted on.

Use of self-evaluation and quality assurance data to identify emerging trends and support needs.

Spending time reading key research and reports related to care experienced children and young people (e.g. the Independent Care Review / The Promise reports and research from Who Cares? Scotland or Scottish Children’s Parliament) and then considering the implications for them as corporate parents .

Spotlight

In Fife, intelligence has been gained from the annual reviews of carers; and in Stirling, their annual reviews of foster care placements enabled children and young people in foster care to share their views about their placement.

In Moray, the offending rates of young people have been closely monitored for police to check in with social work around the challenges the young people concerned may be facing.

Activities

Use of smartphone apps

Local authorities are widely using smartphone apps that have been developed for children and young people to express their views and needs, to keep in contact with professionals, and to receive information and updates on supports and opportunities available.

Spotlight

Apps include the Mind Of My Own (MOMO) app in Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire; Viewpoint in Argyll & Bute, East Lothian, Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian; and My Views in Angus.

Activities

Surveys and research focused on experiences of care

Local authorities have widely used surveys and other participative opportunities to hear from and capture the views and experiences of care experienced children and young people; with the findings then shared with and used by the local Corporate Parenting Board and/or Champions Board to bring about changes to supports and services.

Some local authorities have adopted a ‘You Said, We Did’ approach so that children and young people can see that their views are being taken seriously and acted upon.

Spotlight

In Dumfries & Galloway, its Listen2Us group engaged with over 100 young people to understand their experiences of care and wider services; while its Youth Council led a consultation looking at the impact of COVID-19 on young people.

In Glasgow, mental health research has been led by the Champions Board, and supported by Who Cares? Scotland, to explore the mental health needs of care experienced young people.

In Stirling, care experienced young people were asked what should ‘Stop’ and ‘Go’, with many things changed as a result. For example:

• ‘Stop’ care placement moves – Stirling Council carried out research into unplanned endings, pinpointed situations where there was a higher level of placement disruption, and took steps such as recruiting and training foster carers
• ‘Go’ on providing options for accommodation when young people leave care – Stirling Council recruited supported lodgings carers, opened two new supported accommodation flats, and developed a business case for 10 additional supported accommodation places

In West Dunbartonshire, the Champions Board have created surveys, social media and opinion polls to capture the voice of care experienced children and young people.

Assess

It is the duty of every corporate parent to assess the needs of those children and young people for services and support it provides.

We found that assessment, which assist with and inform good decision making in the best interests of the child was a significant activity area for local authorities, with local authorities introducing new or different assessments around:

• Individual children and young people’s health, educational achievements and needs, housing and employability options, and wellbeing.
• Parents’ and families’ assets and support needs, so helping brothers, sisters and families to stay together.

Local authorities also focused on how children and young people, family and agencies are involved in assessment and then planning for care experienced children and young people.

Activities

Health, mental health and sexual health assessments

Typically forming part of Looked After Children Health Assessments, local authorities have been placing greater focus on children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Some local authorities have also sought to develop or enhance assessments relating to sexual health and teenage relationships.

Spanning different health specialities, examples were given of new, dedicated roles being established to better assess and meet the health needs of care experienced children and young people.

Spotlight

In Argyll & Bute, psychologist supported meetings have been introduced for care experienced young people in mental distress or at risk of self harm, to support improved assessments and planning.

In East Lothian, Scottish Government funding was used to develop and implement a mental health triage system, providing care experienced young people with access to school counselling, mental health youth workers and early low level supports for young people’s mental health.

In Eilean Siar, multi-agency guidance has been developed on supporting children and young people at risk of suicide or self-harm.

Health, mental health and sexual health assessments

In Glasgow, the Vulnerability Health team works closely with Sandyford Sexual Health Service for sexual health testing and support for young people, where required.

In Stirling, guidance was introduced to improve assessment for Vulnerable Pregnant Women.

Specialist roles to support care experienced children and young people include:

• In Dundee, a psychotherapist
• In East Ayrshire, a Looked After and Accommodated nurse
• In North Lanarkshire, a CAMHS for Accommodated Young People specialist

Activities

Early Years assessments

Working with Health Visiting services, some local authorities reported how they had sought to assess and identify child and family needs early (i.e. for pre-school children) and then ensure supports are then in place – including ensuring access to Early Learning and Childcare places for 2 year olds.

Spotlight

In West Lothian, the Family Assessment and Support Service Screening (FASS) group brings together health, education, third sector, early years, Parenting Groupwork and Sure Start services to assess and meet the needs of vulnerable children from pre-birth up to 5 years and to provide a singular referral route for professionals and family.

Activities

Educational assessments

Local authorities have sought to widen their educational assessments of care experienced children and young people beyond exam results and attainment.

Spotlight

In Highland, a Schools Advocacy and Participation Development Officer (based with Who Cares? Scotland) has been established.

In North Ayrshire, the needs and interests of care experienced pupils are assessed via the staged intervention Additional Support Needs process.

Activities

Housing and Employability options assessments

For care experienced young people, local authorities gave examples of person-centred assessments being made of their:

• Employability (e.g. employment, training and further/higher education) options
• Housing and tenancy options to help ensure their place of living on leaving care is sustainable and safe

Spotlight

In Dumfries and Galloway, a named Employability Key Worker works with care experienced young people to do an individual needs assessment and agree a programme of appropriate support.

In Perth & Kinross, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service provides fire, health and safety checks of housing and equipment for any care experienced young person moving into their own tenancy.

Activities

Wellbeing (SHANARRI) assessments

Local authorities have made greater use of the GIRFEC National Practice Model and available wellbeing tools to assess the wider safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Linkages have also been made to other processes and approaches to wellbeing assessments, including:

• Contextual safeguarding
• Care and risk management processes

Spotlight

In North Lanarkshire, the contextual safeguarding approach was adopted to better understand and address sources of harm and risk to care experienced young people in the community so that they feel safe where they live and do not need to move.

In Shetland, the care and risk management process was introduced to support the assessment and management of risk for children and young people who present a risk of serious harm to themselves or others.

Activities

Parenting assessments

Local authorities have developed their approaches to assessing parenting skills and capacities, doing so within a more strengths-based ethos of focusing on parents’ strengths as opposed to their deficits.

The strengths-based approach can be seen in, for example, Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire and South Ayrshire adopting and using the Signs of Safety programme.

Assessments also include areas of concern, such as substance use, and children, young people and carers’ need for short breaks (respite care).

Spotlight

In Clackmannanshire, a dedicated Parenting Capacity Assessment Team was created within Children’s Services to undertake comprehensive assessments of parenting capacity to inform care planning for looked after and accommodated children.

In Stirling, work has been undertaken with the local Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) to develop and introduce an Impact of Parental Substance Use (IPSU) assessment tool.

In West Lothian, each family of an accommodated child receives a parenting capacity assessment producing a robust plan for permanence within 6 months of the child becoming looked after.

Activites - Whole family assessments to better enable brothers, sisters and families to stay together

Building on approaches such as Family Group Decision Making and Lifelong Links, local authorities have enhanced their assessments of the child and young person to include the relationships and assets of the wider family.

Linked to this, greater priority has been given to:

• Keeping children with brothers and/or sisters together wherever possible and appropriate
• Kinship care placements so that children can be cared for by relatives, with local authorities increasing the level of financial and emotional support for kinship carers (as well as foster carers)

Spotlight

In Clackmannanshire, the setting up of the Family Group Decision Making team and the extensive searches they conduct for extended family and networks has meant that a number of children who were unable to remain in the care of their parents have been safely placed with kinship carers.

In Fife, the Kinship Team has more than doubled in size to 13 dedicated staff supporting carers. The team carries out assessments and provides direct support that families need to remain together.

In West Lothian, concurrency planning has led to practice improvements throughout the Children and Families Service with the inclusion of family partnership working agreements, information leaflets for parents, and training for social workers on removing barriers to engagement.

In Glasgow, Independent Reviewing Officers are now responsible for whole families, making simultaneous decisions for children with brothers and/or sister to ensure an optimum solution for maintaining relationships, and respecting rights to be included in one another’s ‘My Meetings’.

Activities

Increasing child and family participation

In line with The Promise, local authorities reported they had been reviewing how the voices of children, young people and families could be central to care planning and decision making.

Spotlight

In Fife, a focus has been on how to increase child and parental attendance at decision making meetings.

In Scottish Borders, increasing child and family voice in Plans has been a key area of activity.

Activities

Accessibility of assessments and plans

Many local authorities have been making their assessments and the resulting Child’s Plans and Pathway Plans more child-friendly and accessible.

Spotlight

In Clackmannanshire, parent and child-friendly GIRFEC-integrated assessments have been developed with pictures, colours and visuals.

In Glasgow, terminology has been changed from the (acronym and professional-worded) ‘LAC Review’ (Looked After Child Review) to the more inclusive term of ‘My Meeting’ and ‘My Plan’.

Activities

Collaboration across multi-agency partners

As part of the assessment or planning stages, examples were given of social work staff working closely with multi-agency staff to identify different supports for children, young people and families.

In particular examples were given of local authorities working closely with Police Scotland and the Children’s Reporter to review the needs of young people involved in offending and help identify alternative, preventative activities.

Spotlight

In Argyll & Bute and Stirling, their Early and Effective Intervention models monitor the young people involved in offending and then understand and respond to their needs at an early stage.

In Moray, the local authorities has been working with Police Scotland and the Courts to understand which young people are involved in the criminal justice system.

In North Lanarkshire, social work staff work closely with a number of Sheriffs to assess need and implement the ‘structured deferred sentencing’ model for all young people aged 16–21, including care experienced young people, and offer holistic, wrap around support to prevent young people potentially coming into conflict with the law.

In Stirling, a social work post based in the Police Scotland Forth Valley Public Protection Unit has been funded to review all referrals from Police to the Children’s Reporter and ensure that all possible family support is in place.

In West Lothian, the inclusion of third sector organisations in screening groups has widened the perspectives of assessment and the range of services available for care experienced children, young people and their families.

Promote

It is the duty of every corporate parent to promote the interests of those children and young people.

We found that local authorities were playing a strong role in promoting the interests and needs of care experienced children and young people, both through championing the rights, needs and lives of care experienced children and young people as a whole and by enabling the interests and needs of individual children and young people to be heard. We have grouped the promote activities under the following themes:

• Committing to national policy innovations, such as the enshrining of the UNCRC, The Promise, and the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant.
• Adopting local protocols that place care experienced children and young people’s interests first.
• Establishing Virtual Schools Headteachers.
• Providing advocacy support for children and young people.
• Events to promote and celebrate care experienced children and young people.
• Opportunities for care experienced children and young people to influence consultations.

Activities

Committing to national innovations

Local authorities, along with their multi-agency partners, have committed to international and national movements and policies that advance and promote the interests of care experienced children and young people. These include:

• UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
• Independent Care Review / The Promise
• Scottish Care Leavers Covenant
• Council Tax exemption
• Care Experienced Young Person Further Education Grant
• Early Years provision for 2 year olds
• Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone (SHORE) Guidelines for care leavers leaving prison and ensure access to housing and re-integration into their community

Spotlight

In Angus, and in line with The Promise, the Through Care and After Care (TCAC) team consulted with care experienced young people and adults engaged with the service about a new name for the service which would be less stigmatising. They chose ‘Horizon’ as the name.

In adopting a rights-based approach, Falkirk has produced its first Children’s Rights Plan and Stirling has produced its first Children’s Rights Report.

North Lanarkshire have adopted and embedded the ‘7 golden rules’ – Understand my rights, A chance to be involved, Remember, it’s my choice, Value me, Support me, Work together, and Keep in touch – produced by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland.

In South Ayrshire, they have changed the language used to help embed love and support for care experienced children and young people – as portrayed in the video.

Activities

Adopting local protocols that place care experienced children and young people’s interests first

Within individual local authorities services (e.g. education or housing), local protocols or policies have been adopted that put the interests of care experienced children and young people first. These include:

• Zero exclusion policies within schools
• Additional financial support for young people moving from care to independent living
• Housing protocols that are supportive in enabling care experienced young people to maintain and sustain their tenancies
• Changing application forms and referral forms so that they recognise care experience
• Employer recruitment incentives

Spotlight

In Stirling, a ‘Second Chance Protocol’ has been established in housing that recognises that care experienced young people may need more support in the transition to independent living.

In Aberdeen, the Throughcare allowance has been increased, income maximisation is promoted, and there is more flexible access to monies.

In South Ayrshire, employer recruitment incentives have been increased locally to increase opportunities for care experienced young people.

In Dundee, where there is a possibility of school exclusions, a process involving assessment and communication across schools and social work overseen by the Chief Education Officer and Head of Service for children and families is undertaken. The final decision rests on an agreement by these leaders and includes a clear assessment and understanding of the impact on the child and family concerned.

Activities

Establishing Virtual Schools Headteachers

Many local authorities have established Virtual School Headteachers – with their role including:

• Improving the educational experiences and outcomes of care experienced children and young people in the local authorities area
• Providing key links between multi-agency teams and advocate for the needs and rights of care experienced children and young people

Spotlight

In Stirling, the Virtual School Headteacher team focus on the wellbeing and participation in school of children and young people with care experience. The team have increased schools’ focus on, and aspirations for, their care experienced pupils, with measurable improvements in the attainment, attendance and post-school participation rate of care experienced young people.

Activities

Providing advocacy support

To support children and young people in decision making meetings, and in preparing for these meetings, the majority of local authorities are providing advocacy services so that their interests and needs are able to be heard and listened to.

Spotlight

In many local authorities, third sector organisations (such as Who Cares? Scotland) are funded to enable care experienced children and young people to access and be supported by skilled advocacy workers.

Activities

Events to promote and celebrate care experienced children and young people

In addition to the festivals, conferences, films and drama productions discussed under ‘Alert’, other events supported by local authorities include:

• National Care Leavers Week
• Kinship Care Week
• Foster Care Fortnight

Some local authorities have encouraged the writing of ‘letters’ from their care experienced children and young people to communicate their interests and needs to corporate parents in an accessible and powerful manner.

In Stirling, a ‘Dear Corporate Parent…’ letter from the Champions Board on behalf of all care experienced children and young people was shared with thousands of Stirling Council staff, including teaching staff. It generated a tremendous response and led to many pledges of support.

In Glasgow, achievement events for children and young people are held, such as the Care Leavers annual Celebration Event.

Activities

Opportunities for care experienced children and young people to influence consultations

Via Champions Boards or other mechanisms, local authorities have sought to have children and young people’s voices contributing to consultations on national and local policy, legislation and guidance developments.

Examples of consultations where care experienced children and young people have been supported to contribute include:

• Independent Care Review
• Secure Care Standards

Spotlight

In Falkirk, care experienced children and young people were centrally involved in the development of their first Children’s Rights Plan and in shaping Falkirk’s Health and Wellbeing Service supports.

Opportunities

It is the duty of every corporate parent to seek to provide those children and young people with opportunities to participate in activities designed to promote their wellbeing.

We found that local authorities have worked hard to provide opportunities across their different services for care experienced children and young people. We have grouped the opportunities created by different local authorities service type – i.e. schools and education, employability, housing, and community development – noting that health, further and higher education, and other opportunities are reported in later chapters.

Activites - Schools and Education

To support care experienced children and young people to flourish in schools, opportunities provided by local authorities include:

• Mentoring via MCR Pathways
• Use of the Scottish Attainment Challenge Care Experienced Fund to provide creative arts options

Many local authorities have also established a Virtual Schools Head Teacher, a senior member of education staff in a local authorities who works at a strategic level, not in a physical school building, who focuses on improving the educational experiences and outcomes of care experienced children and young people in the whole local authorities area.

In terms of extra-curricular activities, local authorities have:

• Paid for care experienced children and young people to go on school trips
• Supported care experienced pupils to enrol on the Duke of Edinburgh Awards
• Enabled use of outdoor resource and activity centres

Local authorities have supported and removed barriers for care experienced children and young people to participate in activities that lead to awards, such as the Youth Achievement Awards.

Spotlight

In Angus, the Active Schools coordinator has assessed and monitored the engagement of care experienced young people in school and extra-curricular activities to ensure that opportunities are targeted towards care experienced young people and they are supported to access and benefit from these.

The Dundee ‘Track Music’ programme, supported by Articulate Cultural Trust, aimed to encourage care experienced young people to express themselves creatively through music.

In Argyll and Bute, two young people were selected for the Who Cares? Scotland Harvard University Scholarship Summer School Scheme.

In East Renfrewshire, the Active Schools Team has identified all care experienced children and young people in schools and has prioritised their access to extra-curricular school clubs and activities in support of schools.

Activities

Employability

A number of local authorities have adopted a ‘family firm’ approach within and beyond the local authorities that spans work experience, tasters, employment, skills and training opportunities to enable care experienced children and young people progress to a positive economic destination.

Guaranteed interviews for care experienced young people applying for local authorities (and partners’) work experience, Modern Apprenticeship and job opportunities have all been provided. Similarly some ring-fenced Modern Apprenticeships for care experienced young people have been created.

The hours and skills given and demonstrated by care experienced young people have been recorded and accredited to help them with future job applications.

Jobs have been created that are designed to be attractive to care experienced young people – including:

• Children’s rights workers
• Participation workers
• Peer mentors
• Home link workers

Support has been given to care experienced young people when completing application forms and preparing for interviews (including providing interpreter services where needed).

Spotlight

In Dundee, the throughcare and aftercare team has co-located with its youth employability service, and there is a dedicated employability worker in post to support care experienced young people.

In Fife, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service delivered two taster ‘Firefighter for a day’ sessions specifically for care experienced young people.

In Glasgow, work has been progressed with Marriott Hotels, Skills Development Scotland and CELCIS to develop an extended ‘family firm’ approach that involves wider employers.

In Highland, the local authorities has continued elements of the Activity Agreement approach via its ‘Positive Pathways’ provision that is delivered by a dedicated ‘Youth Employability Service – CEYP’ team.

In Scottish Borders, a work experience scheme was established that led directly on to a Modern Apprenticeship.

In West Lothian, a £30 weekly training allowance is provided on top of funding received for an apprenticeship or work-related opportunity as an additional incentive and to ensure that care experienced young people are not financially disadvantaged while no longer receiving social security benefits.

Activities

Housing

For young people in continuing care or moving to independent living, local authorities housing teams have worked with partners to provide supported opportunities to experience independent living and develop essential life skills.

Many local authorities have invested in and expanded their supported accommodation / independent living housing stock to provide more and better quality options for young people leaving care.

Many local authorities have adapted their housing policies and protocols to provide young people leaving care with priority access to housing and ensure there is no need for them to register as homeless.

Spotlight

In East Dunbartonshire, Fife and Midlothian, the National House Project has been introduced to provide training and support for care experienced young people so they can successfully transition into their own tenancy.

In East Lothian, care experienced young people offered a starter flat will retain the same housing officer throughout the tenancy, rather than a change, allowing relationships to grow and be maintained over time.

In North Lanarkshire, housing, education, families services and Barnardo’s have worked together to develop training flats to help upskill care experienced young people learn essential skills and so maintain their tenancy.

In Orkney, a protocol has been developed that helps ensure young people leaving care can attain a ‘gold priority pass’ for housing without having to go through the homeless route thereby avoiding an unnecessary additional ‘label’. Joint training was provided to ensure all relevant staff have awareness of the protocol.

In Glasgow, changes in procurement have been made to authorise use of credit cards for speedier purchase of furniture and equipment for supported tenancies.

Activities

Community Development

In helping care experienced children and young people to feel part of, be part of, connect to and contribute to their local communities, opportunities have been created to engage with and participate in community groups and events.

Spotlight

In Inverclyde, care experienced children and young people were supported to become pen pals with older people living in care homes. They sent letters and at Christmas worked with a local music studio to produce a virtual Christmas concert.

In West Lothian, care experienced children and young people are encouraged and supported to engage in community-based groups (with practical or emotional support provided to support their participation).

Access

It is the duty of every corporate parent to take such action as it considers appropriate to help those children and young people to:

• access opportunities;
• make use of services, and access support, which it provides; and
• take such other action as it considers appropriate for the purposes of improving the way in which it exercises its functions in relation to those children and young people.

In reviewing the different activities reported under ‘access’, we found local authorities referred to activities that centre on how to enable care experienced children and young people to understand and then access the range of opportunities available to them. We have grouped these activities under the themes of:

• Increasing awareness of available opportunities.
• Increasing access to IT / Wi-Fi.
• Access to sport and leisure services.
• Budgets to support access to wider hobbies and interests.
• Increasing access to care records.

Activities

Increasing awareness of available opportunities

Local authorities have used a number of different approaches to help care experienced children and young people to understand and actively promote the different education, leisure, employability housing, throughcare and aftercare, financial and wider supports and opportunities available to them. These approaches include:

• Dedicated Facebook pages and social media – often developed and managed by care experienced young people
• Key workers working directly with children and young people to discuss the options available to them

Some local authorities have worked to ensure that children and young people who are cared for in another local authorities area are also kept informed of the opportunities available to them.

Spotlight

In Fife, the Young People team support care leavers but as the service is not compulsory, some young people decide not to work with the team. Since 2018 the team have been more proactive, making contact with these young people to make them aware of their rights and entitlement to support until they are 26 years old.

In the Scottish Borders, young people with English as an Additional Language have been supported from the very beginning of their placement by the translation of the welcome packs, care plans and various other documents.

In Stirling, the Virtual Head Team has put together a website for care experienced children and young people and their families to access information about the services and support available.

In Dumfries and Galloway, in response to a high number of care experienced young people with an ‘unknown’ post school status, social workers updated employability colleagues on young people’s current status and help encourage re-engagement.

Activities

Increasing access to IT / Wi-Fi

Local authorities have helped care experienced children and young people to access the Internet – with this need heightened with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By doing so, children and young people have been able to access a wider range of services, such as social media platforms and education provision.

Connecting Scotland have been a key partner and supported in the funding and provision of digital devices and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Spotlight

In Scottish Borders, care experienced young people worked with a local IT firm to build a bespoke internet / Wi-Fi system for Children’s Homes. Each young person has their own digital Wi-Fi hub connected to a central system which allows both individual access and appropriate monitoring to ensure internet safety and age appropriate access.

In West Lothian, the provision of laptops, mobiles and internet data is now considered by West Lothian Council to be an essential utility alongside electricity and food in keeping healthy.

Activities

Access to sport and leisure services

Local authorities have enabled care experienced children and young people to access sports and leisure services and facilities by providing free membership cards.

Spotlight

In East Renfrewshire, care experienced children and young people are able to bring a friend for free.

In South Ayrshire, the sport and leisure pass includes some non-local authorities run facilities.

Activities

Budgets to support access to wider hobbies and interests

Flexible budgets have been made available so that there are monies available to pay for:

• Musical instruments and music lessons
• Outdoor pursuit, such as horse-riding and golf
• Outdoor play equipment
• Driving lessons

To access these opportunities, transport or free bus travel is provided

Spotlight

In Argyll & Bute, a policy on supporting care experienced children and young people to keep pets has been developed.

In East Lothian, Heavy Sound was funded to provide music opportunities on both a group and individual basis to care experienced children; while Biking North provided the opportunity for six care experienced young people to build a bike from scratch and then ride it in the North of Scotland.

In Glasgow, flexible funding of £400 was provided to care experienced young people during the COVID-19 pandemic with no application process.

In Orkney, a local enhanced Young Scot offer is provided to care experienced young people to allow them to access more local benefits and entitlements.

In Scottish Borders, children and young people in Children’s Homes were provided with debit cards to enable them to quickly buy items online, so reducing time and paperwork for purchases.

Activities

Increasing access to care records

Some local authorities referred to work that helps children and young people access their care records.

Spotlight

In Aberdeen City and Perth & Kinross, increased access to care records also includes ‘Write Right About Me’ where children and young people explain how they want their records and plans to be written.

Improve

It is the duty of every corporate parent to take such other action as it considers appropriate for the purposes of improving the way in which it exercises its functions in relation to those children and young people.

For the Improve duty, and with a slightly different emphasis to the wording contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, we asked local authorities how they have reviewed their performance as a corporate parent to help bring about improvements for care experienced children and young people.

We found that local authorities responded to this survey question in four different ways:

• At the individual child and young person level, through improvements made in the review and analysis of individuals’ plans and activities.
• At the care experienced child and young person population level, through the review and analysis of statistical data and wider intelligence centred on this population.
• At the service level, through inspections and reviews of services.
• At the strategic level, through reviews and changes made to the corporate parenting governance arrangements.

We present examples of these four types of improvement activity below and, importantly, we found that local authorities were using the knowledge and learning gained from these activities to make positive changes to the supports and services for care experienced children and young people.

Individual Child And Young Person Data Developments

Activities

Gathering and analysing data from children and young people

Local authorities have been using different approaches to listen to the views and needs of children and young people, and to track their outcomes.

Spotlight

In North Lanarkshire, the views and experiences expressed by children and young people via the Mind Of My Own app are regularly reported to North Lanarkshire’s Corporate Parenting Group.

In Orkney, the use of the Outcomes Star has been piloted to improve how practitioners work with care experienced children and young people to agree key outcomes and how to measure them.

Activities

Adaptations to management information systems and data recording

Local authorities have been making changes to the data they are recording for care experienced children and young people so that their needs are better understood and more effective and tailored supports can be provided as a result.

Spotlight

In Glasgow, Independent Reviewing Officers collate information on whole families to support planning for the family as a whole, prioritising family time and keeping brothers and sisters together, where possible.

In West Lothian, the Looked After Nurse Advanced Practitioner and the Reviewing Team Manager hold regular reviews to ensure that children were identified and notified to the Looked After Health Team.

Activities

Improvements in information sharing between corporate parenting partners

Some local authorities referred to examples of different partners (particularly between social work, health, education, housing and Police Scotland) working together to share information about care experienced children and young people.

Spotlight

Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire have been working together to support reciprocal information-sharing agreements that allow tracking of the education achievements of children accommodated outside their own local authorities.

In West Lothian, there has been work with Police Scotland to make changes to the Vulnerable Persons Database (VPD) and Inter-agency Referral Discussions (IRD) systems to include reference to whether a child is ‘care experienced’. This should allow further analysis of the types of risk and harm that children who are care experienced encounter, and what the outcomes are of IRD and professional involvement.

Care Experienced Child And Young People Population Data Developments

Activities

Developing corporate parenting datasets

A number of local authorities have developed multi-agency data sets to better monitor and understand the number, characteristics, needs, placement types and outcomes of care experienced children and young people.

Indicator areas include:

• Education statistics
• Housing, temporary accommodation and homelessness statistics
• Children’s Reporter and Hearings statistics

Many local authorities are in the process of organising their performance reporting to align with The Promise.

In Falkirk, each service (external fostering, residential care, supported accommodation, short breaks and children’s rights) has specific targets to meet and these are monitored quarterly.

In Inverclyde, a partnership with Education Scotland improved the data set for care experienced children and young people in local schools; so allowing a deployment of Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) Attainment Funding for tutors for care experienced young people.

Activities

Engaging with the PACE programme

Many local authorities have worked with CELCIS as part of the Permanence and Care Excellence (PACE) programme to improve permanence planning for care experienced children and young people, and use the data and intelligence from the programme to (re)design local processes.

Spotlight

In Moray, the PACE programme led to the implementation of the two-week meeting to help focus the planning and support activities for care experienced children.

In South Ayrshire, a specific permanency panel was set up to provide greater focus on meeting permanence timescales.

Service Level Reviews

Activities

Inspections, reviews and self-evaluations of services

Whether as an annual or one-off exercise, local authorities undertook internal auditing, quality assurance or review work to:

• Assess the quality of assessment, planning, supports and services for care experienced children and young people
• Identify improvements that can be made to supports and services

Some local authorities were looking to involve children and young people in the review of services.

Other reviews included:

• Reporting by partner organisations, e.g. annual and evaluative reports by third sector organisations into the services and programmes they deliver
• Findings from Care Inspectorate-led inspections, with their Post-Inspection Action Plans and support from their Link Inspector helping to make changes to supports and services
• Analysis of service complaints received, with the complaints used as a basis for action

Examples

Examples of review and self-evaluation exercises given by local authorities were:

• In Argyll & Bute, reviews of its assessments (including Initial Health Assessments), planning, and child and young person participation
• In Clackmannanshire, review of its fostering service
• In Dundee, review of child chronologies
• In Glasgow, review of kinship care
• In Highland, review of County Lines procedures involving a review of trafficking, organised and serious crime and child protection processes
• In North Ayrshire, using How Good Is Our School and How Good Is Our Early Learning and Childcare frameworks to assess its education provision
• In North Ayrshire, reviews of quality of individual plans and ensuring the child and young person’s voice is central

Corporate Parenting Governance Arrangements

Activities

Tightening of reporting and governance arrangements

Local authorities have strengthened their governance arrangements so that the Corporate Parenting Board has strategic oversight of activity and responsibility for improvements.

Reporting has been aligned from the Corporate Parenting Board to local authorities’ Children’s Services Partnership, Community Planning Partnership and Local Outcome Improvement Plan.

Spotlight

Edinburgh’s Children’s Partnership is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary senior management group dedicated to delivering better outcomes for all of Edinburgh’s children. Oversight of the Corporate Parenting Plan is included in the remit of this group to ensure partnership oversight given numerous agency members have their own dedicated Corporate Parenting Plans.

In North Lanarkshire, the Corporate Parenting Group (now named the North Lanarkshire Promise Partnership), reports to the Improving Children’s Services Group and regularly reviews its progress of the annual improvement plan, with updates provided for both single and multi-agency actions.

Activities

Annual Corporate Parenting reports

Local authorities and Corporate Parenting Boards recognised the value of producing annual corporate parenting reports as these are opportunities to review progress made over the previous year against their Corporate Parenting Plans and agree on future priorities for action.

Spotlight

In Clackmannanshire, the need to ensure better reporting, monitoring and evaluation against Corporate Parenting Plan targets was recognised and an evaluation of the 2018–2021 Plan is in progress.

In Summary

Local authorities have worked hard and been creative in their approach to delivering on their corporate parenting responsibilities. A wide range of activities have been progressed across all six

of the Section 58 duties and, in doing so, there are clear examples of how local authorities have involved care experienced children and young people and have collaborated with other corporate parent organisations. The different activities outlined need to continue and, in some cases, be strengthened across the early learning and childcare, education, social work, housing and other service domains that local authorities have responsibility for if the ambitions of The Promise are to be delivered on.