Children and Families

Placement Sufficiency Review and Plan

for Children in Care 2018-2020

Date Issued: April 2018

Review Date:

April 2020

Prepared by: Joanne Rabbitte

Head of Delivery, Corporate Parenting

Approved by: Mac Heath

Service Director, Children and Families

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Contents

Section Page

1 Introduction 2

2 Executive Summary 2

3 Milton Keynes Children in Care Strategy 3

4 Milton Keynes Family Support Approach 4

5 Milton Keynes Demographics 5

6 Milton Keynes Looked After Children Demographics 6

7 Placement Provision 9

8 Foster Care 13

9 Special Guardianship and Residence Orders 20

10 Residential Care 21

11 Adoption 23

12 Supported Accommodation for Care Leavers 25

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14

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16

Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Performance Management

Further Support Services for Milton Keynes Looked After Children

Summary and Sufficiency Review Actions

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1. INTRODUCTION

Every Local Authority has a duty to ensure there is sufficient accommodation within their area for children in their care. This duty, under S22(g) of the Children Act (1989) has been clarified and reinforced by the issue of statutory guidance on ‘Sufficiency’ issued in 2010.

This document sets out Milton Keynes Council’s response to the statutory guidance to ensure sufficient accommodation of all types for children in the care of the Council in 2018and going forward. The statutory guidance applies not only to the Council but also to local statutory partners in so far as they have responsibilities for the provision of accommodation. Schools, health, housing and the private and voluntary sectors all contribute to the accommodation and overall wellbeing of children in care and care leavers.

In developing this review of our current arrangements and ongoing plan for sufficiency, we are mindful of the regulatory and legislative developments that have been or are due to be implemented. These include

Care Planning, Placement and Review Regulations 2011,

Fostering Regulations (2011) and Minimum Standards (2011),

Adoption Regulations (2014) and Minimum Standards (2011)

Children’s Homes Regulations 2001, amended 2013

Children and Families Act 2014

Staying Put guidance, Planning Transitions to Adulthood for Care Leavers, 2014

Care Planning and Fostering (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations

Children and Social Work Act 2017

Statutory guidance for local authorities on the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 (as amended by the Special Guardianship (Amendment) Regulations 2016) published January 2017

Foster Care in England – A Review for the Department for Education by Sir Martin Neary and Mark Owers – February 2018

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The overall picture in Milton Keynes is of a good and improving performance in relation to Placement Sufficiency. The numbers of children who are Looked After has remained below national rates, despite an increasing local child population and national drivers which have put pressure on care numbers.

The numbers of children placed outside the LA boundary and over 20 miles from their homes has remained stable as has the percentage of these children in relation to the overall looked after population. While this value is around 4% higher than the National average, it is in line with statistical neighbours. Children’s Services have a clear picture of “placements at a distance” in non-adjacent Local Authority areas and of the rationale for the making and maintenance of these placements; however there is an ongoing priority to make new placements within or near to Milton Keynes.

The provision of family placements for Milton Keynes’ Looked After Children is in line with national averages and there have been increases in the number and range of in-house fostering provision. The service has met significantly increased demand in relation to the assessment and support of Family and Friends placements and there has been year on year increases in the number of children exiting care via Special Guardianship Orders.

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Staying Put practice is well embedded and care leavers are able to stay in their foster placement whether in a Milton Keynes fostering service placement or an Independent Agency placement if that is in line with the young person’s care plan. In addition there is a range of Supported Lodgings placements for 16+ and for care leavers.

The current challenges for the fostering service are to increase capacity for teenagers, sibling groups, children with disabilities and parent and child placements.

The Commissioning service has impacted positively on the commissioning, quality and costs of external fostering, residential and semi-independent provision and it continues to make a significant contribution to developing regional approaches to placement commissioning. The plan is for the service to transfer to the central Commissioning Service from April 2018. A key initiative is the introduction of the Dynamic Purchasing System.

Performance in adoption remains strong although there has been a significant decrease in the number of children who have a plan of adoption which accords with the national picture. Milton Keynes has been active in the development of the Central and East Regional Adoption Agency with good interagency working across the region. Performance is above national averages and innovative practice developments, including concurrent planning, foster to adopt placements and Placement activity days, have been implemented.

The in-house residential provision in Milton Keynes is currently rated as Good by OFSTED. It is our intention to review this provision in line with the current and future needs of children with special educational needs and profound and multiple learning difficulties.

We will continue to closely monitor the use of residential care ensuring that it is used judiciously and only when the assessed needs of the child indicate that it is the placement of choice. We will always ensure that children placed in residential care are only there for the time required to meet their identified needs.

Ongoing sufficiency work will take into account the impact of wider national developments upon placement needs and provision, including the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014, with its implications for the court processes and timescales, adoption developments and the SEND reforms, which include both the implementation of Education, Health and Social Care plans and the further development of effective joint commissioning processes for children with complex needs. The strategy will address the implications of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 which may increase our responsibilities in relation to care leavers. The strategy also addresses the findings of the recent Foster Care in England review. 3. MILTON KEYNES CHILDREN IN CARE STRATEGY 2018/20 Milton Keynes Council has an updated ‘Children in Care Strategy’ for 2018 -20. The main strand of the strategy is to work with children and families to prevent children coming into care wherever possible by providing intensive family support and engaging with wider family through mechanisms such as Family Group Conferences. A weekly multi agency LAC panel has been introduced to ensure that all options are considered for children prior to (or, in an emergency, immediately following) entry to care.

The Children in Care Strategy is based on the principle that we seek to provide local placements where links with families and friends can be maintained for children and young people who do come into care, wherever feasible and in their best interests. In the first instance, this is usually foster care.

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Milton Keynes remains committed to this Family Support approach. A corresponding Family Support Strategy outlines how we work to support vulnerable families. The Children in Care Strategy is based on the principle that we seek to provide local placements where links with families and friends can be maintained for children and young people who do come into care, wherever feasible and in their best interests. In the first instance, this is usually in foster care.

“When we take the decision to take a child or young person into care, they have the right to the highest quality of care within a substitute family. For a small number of children and young people, residential care will be the most appropriate option. We will only use placements outside the Milton Keynes area or residential placements where a child or young person has specialist and particular needs, which cannot be met locally or within a family placement setting. Where children and young people have been placed outside the area for some time, we will not return them to Milton Keynes unless it is in their best interest to return, and we will fully consult and listen to their views before making such a decision”.

“Every placement decision will be based on a proper assessment of the child’s needs and take into account as far as possible the child’s wishes and feelings. In general and whenever it is important for an individual child, we will seek to provide culturally matched placements. We will ensure that there are effective support systems for foster carers in order to achieve stability of placement and consistency and to provide the necessary help and advice when things are difficult. We will listen to the views of foster carers who often know the child well, and take these views into account.”

4. MILTON KEYNES FAMILY SUPPORT APPROACH

“The vast majority of children are most likely to thrive and achieve good outcomes if they are cared for within their own families, therefore preventative services and early intervention to support children in need and their families will be provided to give them every chance to stay together.”

“Where children cannot be supported within their birth family, arrangements with friend’s family and connected persons will be fully explored to provide permanent alternatives.”

The Family Support Approach sets out the approach taken by professional staff in Milton Keynes Council, Children and Families: Integrated Support and Social Care and key partners such as community health, police and schools in working with children and families with intensive needs.

This approach can be characterised as working with children and families, listening to their concerns and perceptions, and focusing on the whole system in which a child and family are located to identify solutions and bring about change.

Our approach recognises that there are unique advantages for children experiencing family life in their birth family and that in most circumstances children’s needs are best met by being cared for within their immediate or extended families. Children should be supported within their own family, with the assistance of family support services when necessary, unless there are clear reasons why this might not be consistent with their safety and wellbeing. To deliver this approach, Milton Keynes Children’s Social Care has developed resources to provide seven day a week family advice and support and intensive family support (i.e. our rapid response service to prevent breakdown of families).

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The Intensive Support Service works with families whose children are on the edge of care and/or who are on Child Protection Plans. We also provide specialist childminding and home care for families in difficulty and support with parenting and childcare through children’s centres and the Early Intervention Centre. Another key development of our approach is the use of “Signs of Safety” as a working method to engage children and families. The approach has been embedded in the Children and Family Practices (CFP) and Social Care Family Support Teams and is also being integrated into Corporate Parenting Services. This spectrum of services has been developed over time and operates according to the key principles outlined in our Family Support Approach. We know that where we do need to bring children into the care system, the quicker they return home, the higher the chance of successful reunification. We will always ensure, consistent with the child’s safety and wellbeing, that we try everything we can to get children back home. 5. MILTON KEYNES DEMOGRAPHICS

The key demographic feature of Milton Keynes over the last thirty years has been our population growth. In 2001, the total population was 212,700. By 2014, it had increased to 258,200 and as at the mid-year 2016 estimate (ONS, 2017) the population was almost 264,500. The increase in the population reflects a combination of planned growth through new housing development, inward migration and, more recently, a rising birth rate.

The mid-year population estimates from 2012 determined that 59,638 local residents were aged 0-17; by the 2017 estimate this had increased to 67,146. This population boom in young people is expected to continue as Milton Keynes expands and continues to perform well economically.

It is projected that there will be a 31.4% increase in the number of children aged 5-16 in Milton Keynes between 2012 and 2026, contrasting with a national projected increase of 13.8%. Milton Keynes Child Population Table 1

We also know however, that we are managing our Children in Care population well by our strong early help services and when we do take a child into our care the average age has dropped to around 8 years old.

50000

52500

55000

57500

60000

62500

65000

67500

70000

20

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20

02

20

03

20

04

20

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06

20

07

20

08

20

09

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20

11

20

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20

13

20

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20

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20

16

20

17

20

18

20

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20

20

0-17 MKC mid-year estimate population

0-17 population

Population trendline

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6. MILTON KEYNES LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN DEMOGRAPHICS 6.1 Rates of Looked after Children (LAC) Table 2

On 31 December 2017, there were 377 children and young people in the care of Milton Keynes Council, a rate of 56.1 children per 10,000 in the population. Both the number and rate have dramatically increased since March 2013 as reflected in the above table; however it should be noted that there was a considerable rise throughout 2016-17 which has reduced during 2017-18.

Significant national developments have contributed to pressures in the increase of care numbers. Case law following the “Southwark judgement” continues to underline that voluntary care (Section 20 accommodation) must be offered to all homeless 16/17 year olds. There has been increasing awareness and recognition of, and guidance relating to, young people who are at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation. Developments in case law and statutory guidance relating to the placement of children with Family and Friends (Connected Persons) have effectively deemed that any placement made with a relative where social care are significantly involved with the family must be treated as a foster placement, not as a private family arrangement outside the care system. (See below for details).

0

50

100

150

200

250

14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18*

LAC periods started in year LAC periods ended in year

40

45

50

55

60

65

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Dec-17

Rates of looked after children

Milton Keynes South East Statistical Neighbours England

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6.2 Gender Table 3

Gender 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Dec-17 National March 2017

Male % 56% 60% 59% 58% 59% 56%

Female % 44% 40% 41% 42% 41% 44%

There has been very little change in the percentage gender breakdown of Milton Keynes Children Looked After over the last five years. There has been a swing towards more males but this has not altered much since 2014-15. The situation in Milton Keynes is very similar to the National figure; again, we have a slightly higher proportion of males, some of which is related to the % of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), the majority of whom are male. 6.3 Age Table 4

Age Splits 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Dec-17 National March 2013

National March 2017

Under 1 20 15 15 20 16 4310 3820

1 to 4 50 40 35 55 53 12360 9170

5 to 9 65 80 60 75 68 13260 14100

10 to 15 110 115 140 150 156 24450 28540

16+ 65 85 90 90 84 13730 17040

Under 1 6% 4% 4% 5% 4% 6% 5%

1 to 4 16% 12% 10% 14% 14% 18% 13%

5 to 9 21% 24% 18% 19% 18% 19% 20%

10 to 15 35% 34% 41% 38% 41% 36% 39%

16+ 21% 25% 26% 23% 22% 20% 23%

There has been a trend towards older children being in care since 2013 both nationally and locally – over 10’s now make up 63% of our cohort rather than 56% back in March 2014. The over 10’s have actually reduced since 2016 however, when they made up 67% of the cohort. Overall we are very similar to the national percentage age ranges. 6.4 Ethnicity

Table 5

Ethnicity 2013-14 Dec-17 Mar-14 % Dec-17 % National Mar-14 %

National Mar-17 %

White 240 242 78 65 78 75

Mixed 25 39 8 11 9 9

Asian or Asian British 18 25 5.5 7 4 5

Black or Black British 19 50 8.5 13 7 7

Other ethnic groups 4 13 1 4 2 3

Not known 0 2 0 1 1 1

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Of the 377 children and young people in Milton Keynes care on 31 December 2017, the percentage breakdown of recorded ethnicity was that:

65% were from a white background

11% were from a mixed ethnicity background

13% were from a black background

7% were from an Asian background

4% Other Ethnic Group (includes some Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers)

There has been a considerable reduction in the percentage of children from a White British background over the last 3 years. In part this has been linked to an increase of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) which account for the majority of the increases in the ‘Black/British background’ and ‘Other Ethic groups’. However even taking that into account, there has been a clear reduction in children from a white background during 2017-18. From a National perspective there has been little change since 2014; Milton Keynes is therefore different to the National picture in this respect. Based on the Ethnic breakdown of Milton Keynes as a whole there is an under-representation of children from an Asian background and an over-representation of children from a black background. 6.5 Entrants to Care Table 6

Age Group 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18*

Under 1 23 34 23 22 38 30

1 to 4 24 38 19 33 51 26

5 to 9 17 24 39 29 32 25

10 to 15 35 50 53 63 51 31

16 and 17 22 25 34 35 23 23

Total 121 171 168 182 195 135 *extrapolated values for 17-18 based on the first 10 months of the year

There has been a continued increase on numbers of children entering care since 2012-13, however in 2017-18 so far has been a change in the trend. The increase in UASC from 2014-15 onwards shows increase in older children however this too has reduced during 17-18.

The overall increase in LAC numbers during 2016-17 was a combination of higher entrants, but also much lower numbers exiting care. During 2017-18 the overall numbers have reduced as entrant numbers are much lower but those exiting care is at a similar rate to 2016-17.

6.6 Legal status (as at 31 December 2017)

Table 7

Legal status 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Dec-17

Interim care orders 40 40 35 48 64 44

Full care orders 115 140 155 162 199 218

Placement order granted 60 35 30 18 18 26

Accommodated under S20 65 85 110 115 109 88

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An Interim Care Order is made during Care Proceedings (usually at the first court hearing after care proceedings have been issued). It is only granted where the Court feels there is good reason to believe that a child is at serious risk of harm. There was a significant rise in the number of care proceedings commenced during 2016-17, as indicated by the rise in ICO’s and the pattern has continued in 2018. There has been a concerted effort to reduce the number of Section 20 (voluntary) arrangements to ensure that children are only being taken into care when appropriate. The majority of the S20 arrangements are older entrants to care including UASC and children with disabilities many of whom are placed in residential special schools or who are in receipt of substantial packages of overnight respite care. A Placement Order is granted at the conclusion of proceedings where the plan is adoption. The pattern of Placement Orders granted should be noted. The decline since 2013-14 is a national trend related to the Family Justice Review and a number of key judgements and changes. Figures have recovered somewhat in 2017 with a significant increase in Placement Orders granted in the 2018. Following a considerable rise in entrants to care during 2016-17, the numbers so far during 2017-18 have been much reduced and the number of current Interim Care Orders has reduced to similar levels as 2012-13 to 2015-16. 7. PLACEMENT PROVISION

7.1 Placement Type Table 8

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Dec-17

Foster placement with relative or friend:

Inside LA 29 36 37 50 52

Outside LA 13 18 17 29 25

Placement with other foster carer:

Inside LA 119 143 138 146 130

Outside LA 63 63 64 86 79

Total Placed in foster care 224 260 256 311 286

Secure unit 0 1 1 2 0

Homes and hostels 33 31 41 40 32

Hostels and other supportive residential placements

1 7 7 4 4

Residential schools 2 1 1 0 8

Other residential settings 4 1 2 0 1

Placed for adoption (including placed with former foster carer)

12 13 7 6 5

Placed with own parents 18 14 19 13 23

In lodgings, residential employment or living independently

9 11 11 19 18

The numbers of children in foster placements have increased considerably in the period, as have the overall numbers of Looked After Children.

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In terms of percentages of all placement types, the percentage of foster care placements has remained very stable – between 74% and 79%. Within the foster placement group, there has been a significant increase in the number of Family and Friends carers – from 12% in 2012-13 to 20% from 2016-17 onwards. In 2017 there was a reduction in the actual number of children in foster care in line with the LAC figures and this can also be linked to the rise in the number of children placed with parents whilst subject to a Care Order. Work has been done within the Children in Care Service to rehabilitate a number of long term children in care and priority will be given to rescinding the Care Orders when it is appropriate to do so.

The numbers and percentage of children in Homes and Hostels increased during the period, however a concerted effort to reduce these placements where appropriate has meant a reduction back to the levels of 5 years ago (with a much larger overall caseload).

The most significant change in placement pattern has been the steep rise in the number of children in residential schools. These are children with complex behavioural and educational needs whose placement in other care setting could not be maintained.

When placing children in external placements, Milton Keynes will only place children in provision which is judged by OFSTED to be Good or Outstanding.

7.2 Location of Placements

“We are committed to providing care placements wherever possible within the Milton Keynes area, preferably within appropriate family placements (foster homes), supported by the Council’s Family Placement Service.”

Milton Keynes Borough is geographically small and there are extensive links with local communities which are within a 10 to 20 miles radius of Milton Keynes but are outside the borough boundaries. There have been ongoing and proactive recruitment campaigns to maintain and develop the number of carers who are local to Milton Keynes.

The Council’s in house fostering service has approved foster carers in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire and some further afield for those young people who are placed with Family and Friends or who need to be temporarily placed some distance from Milton Keynes for Safeguarding reasons.

When the council commissions external foster placements, the first points of contact are with preferred providers who provide carers in or close to Milton Keynes. The majority of external residential establishments used for Milton Keynes children are more than 20 miles from Milton Keynes, but a regional contract is in place to assist with the provision of more localised residential placements (See Residential section). Table 9

Mar-13 Mar-14 Mar-15 Mar-16 Mar-17 Dec-17

0 - 20 miles from MKC 220 238 268 266 313 315 21 - 50 miles 20 30 39 36 33 21 51 - 100 miles 35 30 21 27 30 24 101 miles and over 7 7 11 15 16 17

% 0 - 20 miles 78% 78% 79% 77% 80% 84% *showing distance from home - 7% unknown, 19% over 20 miles, 74% under 20 miles

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In the past five years there has been an increase in the numbers of children who are placed within a 20 mile radius of Milton Keynes with the most significant increase taking place in 2016 ensuring as many children and young people as possible remain in their local area. 7.3 At a Distance Placement Summary at 31 January 2018 Green 50 Amber 9 Red 0 TOTAL 59 Green Placement and Plan appropriate Amber Needs ongoing/further work to progress permanence plan or return to Milton Keynes Red Urgent actions required to resolve concerns The Green rating includes foster placements with Family and Friends and permanent placements, children in adoptive placements and children placed in residential establishments that have been identified as appropriate to meet their specific needs which could not be met locally. This will therefore include some of the foster placements identified above that are away from Milton Keynes. All “at a distance” placements are subject to quarterly review by the Service Director and Heads of Delivery. The placements are also monitored on a monthly basis through the Children’s Social Care External Placements Panel. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA1)

A key and ongoing element of the Sufficiency Strategy is to continue to increase the number and range of placement provision in or near to Milton Keynes.

7.4 First Placement in care (13-16 year olds) Table 10 - Entrants to care during 2017 - 18

Age Total placed Foster Care Residential Care (Inc. Schools and Secure)

Independent Living

13 2 0 2 0

14 3 3 0 0 15 6 3 3 0 16 14 5 3 6 TOTALS 25 11 8 6

Foster care is the main placement option for first time adolescent entrants to care and this is true at all ages. MK has increased its provision of independent living provision for 16 year olds, however, we remain concerned about the number and percentage of adolescents for whom residential is a first placement.

The strategy to look at alternatives for adolescents at the edge of care is proving effective and 17-18 has seen a clear reduction in the overall entrants to care of this cohort. See table 10 above.

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Sufficiency Review Action (SRA2)

A key action arising from the Sufficiency Strategy will be to increase the number of in-house foster care households that can take teenagers

7.5 Placement Stability Two of our commitments include:

“We will promote and develop our permanency offer to ensure timely achievement of permanent placements and placement stability through adoptions, special guardianship residence orders, and permanently matched foster care.”

“Emotional and physical stability is a key requirement for improving outcomes so that continuity of relationships, community links, education and health provision, provides the right conditions for maximizing potential. We will work closely with partners to improve placement stability.”

Placement stability is essential to achieve the best outcomes for the children in our care. There has been a clear and ongoing focus on supporting placement stability in the review period, with a consequent improvement in performance as detailed below

Stability indicators;

The number of children on 31 March with three or more placements in that year as a percentage of the number of children looked after on 31 March (lower is better performance):

Table 11

Year 3+ Placements LAC Tools % LAC with 3+ Placements

2012 / 13 46 281 16%

2013 / 14 32 305 10%

2014 / 15 34 340 10%

2015 / 16 40 345 12%

2016 / 17 40 395 10%

The latest available national comparator data for this indicator is 10%, so Milton Keynes performance is in line with the national rate currently. The performance in this area has remained steady over the last 4 years and into 2017-18, although it fluctuates as new children enter and leave care.

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The number of children on 31 March who had been in the same placement for 2 years as a % of the number of children on 31 March who had been looked after for 2.5 years or more (higher is better performance): Table 12

This indicator only includes under 16's

Year Children in Care

2.5+ years Children in the same placement 2+ years

Percentage

2012-13 84 43 51%

2013-14 90 56 62%

2014-15 101 63 62%

2015-16 110 60 55%

2016-17 119 78 66%

2017-18 128 74 58%

The last national comparator data was last issued in 15/16 (68%) we are unable to compare our most recent data. 8. FOSTER CARE Table 13

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Dec-17

MKC Foster placement with relative or friend

33 42 54 54 79 77

MKC Placement with foster carer

128 115 117 121 135 122

Non-MKC foster Placements (mainly IFA’s)

53 67 89 81 97 87

All Fostering placements 214 224 260 256 311 286

% MKC placements 75% 70% 66% 68% 69% 70%

The number of children in care has increased year on year for the past five years The trend has changed and there are 25 fewer in foster placement now than March 2017 % in foster care increased and is now 70% IFA placements grew year on year for the last five years, but are now reducing in 2018 Numbers in in-house foster placements have fluctuated over five years Numbers with relatives and friends more than doubled over the five years

Milton Keynes is now largely self-sufficient for new foster placements for children under 14. In addition the in-house service has successfully enabled seven young people to step down from residential or IFA into in-house fostering or supported lodgings placements. There is a cohort of settled young people permanently matched in IFA placements however if a placement disrupts in the independent sector an in-house placement will always be considered. A focus for the service in the next two years will be to review the children whose permanency plans are long term foster care and explore whether legal permanency can be achieved by way of Special

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Guardianship or Adoption assuming that placements are stable and this is consistent with the care plan for the child or young person. A key component will be improving the post-order services provided. The current picture is that IFA placements are mainly sought for parent and child, older children, children with complex disabilities or where we have had to place out of area for safeguarding reasons. Milton Keynes compares well with the national picture in respect of the % in foster care (74%) and 73%

placed with in-house carers. 8.1 Milton Keynes Foster Care Provision

In January 2018 the Fostering Service Development Plan was approved by the Corporate Parenting Panel. This was based on an independent review carried out in September 2017.

As part of that plan the service is being restructured to better focus on key activities, two quality assurance posts have been created and there will be a focus on training and upskilling of staff. There is a dynamic and proactive foster carer recruitment campaign in place in order to meets the needs of children requiring placements. Our communications strategy was reviewed in 2017 with the main focus in advertising now being radio and web based. A new campaign ‘Help them write their future’ has been developed and all publications are being refreshed and reviewed. On 31 January 2018, Milton Keynes Council Fostering Service had 197 approved foster carer households. The table below details the breakdown of the type of foster placements provided by the Milton Keynes fostering service as at January 2018. Table 14

Time Limited: Permanent: Supported Lodgings: Family and Friends: 92 33 14 58

Over the year 2016/17, 483 placements were made with in-house carers. As an indication of how placement activity has increased exponentially over time, the 2013/14 value was 276 placements – a 75% increase.

Foster carer annual household reviews identify a development plan for each foster care household which sets out their personal training and development needs. A comprehensive fostering service training programme is provided for carers, aimed at increasing their skills and understanding to promote the best outcomes for children and young people. This training programme is informed by the development needs identified in annual household reviews. We are reviewing the foster carers’ payments being linked to skills and a key component of foster carer development, being the completion of a portfolio in the first year post approval.

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8.2 Foster Care Provision by type and age band (December 2017) Table 15

Age Band All Children In-House

Family and Friends

IFA

%foster care in-house (inc. F+F)

0-4yrs 56 26 19 6 80% 5-9yrs 64 30 19 12 77%

10-15yrs 126 51 28 45 63% 16-17yrs 40 15 11 14 63%

286 122 77 77 - 199 77 70%

Total 276 (10 placements under other LA provision

What is clear from the table above is that the older the child, the more likely alternative care arrangements are required. This fits in with the concerns over the range of placements available for teenagers.

For children aged under 10 years, only around 15% of foster cases are placed with an IFA carer and almost 80% are with an in-house carer (either MKC carer or family and friend carer). For over 10’s however around 35% of placements require an IFA carer rather than being able to place them with our in-house carers.

Sufficiency Review Action (SRA3)

Whilst the overall coverage of foster care is good and in line with national averages, the key area for foster care service development is with the 10-15 age range, there remains the need to further develop the provision and availability of foster care for this age range.

8.3 Family and Friends Care

Table 16

Date Number of Family and Friends carers

March 2012 24 March 2013

March 2014 33

March 2014 42 March 2015 54

March 2016 54 March 2017 79 December 2017 77

As indicated above (section 5), national developments have driven the increasing numbers of children being placed in foster care with Family and Friend carers. This is reflected in the year on year increases evidenced in table 16 above.

There is an ongoing demand for viability assessments of potential Family and Friends carers to be undertaken by the fostering team driven by courts, with clear timescales and deadlines for completion.

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Unlike other foster carers, who generally care for several children once after they have been approved, these carers are only approved for a specific child(ren) and more than one potential carer may be assessed for a single child. This is an ongoing pressure on the recruitment and assessment part of our work. Table 17

Year Number of Viability Assessments

2012 – 2013 52

2013 – 2014 84

2014 – 2015 90

2015 – 2016 83

2016 - 2017 87

2017 - 2018 95

8.4 Exits from Family and Friends Care Table 18 – reasons for leaving care for the last 12 months

Exit Status/Reason Number of Children Special Guardianship Order 35 Residence Order 1 Return to Parents 8 Transferred to Adult Social Services 1 Any Other Reason 2 Total Ceased Care 47

Establishing legal permanence is a key objective in care proceedings however there is a cohort of Connected Persons carers who are reluctant to give up their status as foster carers because they value the support and guidance they receive from the team. The table above indicates the reasons for children who had been placed with Family and Friends carers when exiting care. Special Guardianship Orders (SGO) have been the key exit route for children placed with those carers and that this arrangement has been legally underpinned outside the care system. SGO carers in this situation are eligible for ongoing means-tested financial support from the council, which is initially (for 2 years) maintained at the rate received as a foster carer.

Sufficiency Review Action (SRA4)

A further linked action from the Sufficiency Strategy in response to this increased demand will be to consider whether a Family and Friends team within the Corporate Parenting Service should be established in light of the increasing numbers of Family and Friends Carers.

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8.5 Ethnicity of Milton Keynes Foster carers

Table 19

Main Foster Carer’s Ethnicity % of Carers with children placed

% of all Approved Carers

White

British 86.6 87.0

Irish 2.7 2.6

Traveller of Irish Heritage 0 0

Gypsy/Roma 0 0

Any other White background 1.6 1.3

Mixed

White and Black Caribbean 0 0

White and Black African 0 0

White and Asian 0 0

Any other mixed background 0.5 0.4

Asian or Asian British

Indian 1.6 1.3

Pakistani 1.1 0.9

Bangladeshi 1.1 0.9

Any other Asian background 0 0.4

Black or Black British

Black Caribbean 1.6 2.2

Black African 1.1 0.9

Any other Black background 0.5 0.9

Any other ethnic group

Chinese 0 0

Any other ethnic group 0 0

Other

Refused / Not yet obtained 1.6 1.3

Whilst the majority of our foster carers are from a white background, foster care recruitment campaigns actively encourage black and minority ethnic families to apply to become Milton Keynes carers, so that we are able to broaden the diversity of family placements available locally in order more closely to match children’s cultural needs. Our emphasis is, however, on ensuring that all our foster carers are provided with the skills and understanding that will enable them to meet children and young people’s diverse personal and cultural needs. All new foster carers undertake mandatory principles and values training in their first year, which covers diversity awareness. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA5) Analysis of table 19 indicates that the key area of recruitment in relation to the ethnicity of foster carers will be to work to recruit more households which reflect a dual heritage background.

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8.6 In-House Provision: Sibling placements

Table 20

Assessed Need Sibling Groups Nos of Children Assessed together, Placed together

15 34

Assessed together, Placed separately

2 7

Assessed separately, Placed separately

1 2

Table 20 above indicates that of 17 sibling groups, 16 were placed according to their assessed need to be with or apart from their sibling(s).

An analysis of all sibling placements in the care of Milton Keynes is currently taking place and will further inform our Sufficiency work. This information and the new Adoption Statutory Guidance implemented in July 2014, underlines the need for timely sibling assessments where adoption (and other permanent placement arrangements) is being considered.

8.7 Staying Put

Our “Staying Put” policy was reviewed in December 2017 alongside “Staying Close” principles. We are committed to help our Care Leavers develop independence in a safe and graduated way and a key development over the period has been our “Staying Put” provision, enabling foster children to remain in placement beyond their 18th birthday. As at 31 March 2017, Milton Keynes had seven placements providing a Staying Put service (five with MKC carers). Fourteen young people aged 18/19 have now been provided with a Staying Put service. This is a positive development, but there are consequent reductions in the availability of foster placements for other foster children where these arrangements are in place.

The Children and Families Act 2014 indicates that there must be a Framework for Staying Put arrangements for young people aged 16 and over. Statutory guidance issued in May 2014 (Planning Transitions to Adulthood for Care Leavers) reinforces these requirements.

Sufficiency Review Action (SRA6)

Milton Keynes has been at the forefront of developing Staying Put provision. Further work is being undertaken to ensure compliance of local arrangements with national requirements and the MKC Sufficiency Strategy further to develop Milton Keynes practice and underpinning framework, policy and procedures. Future work will include developing our commissioning of Independent Fostering Placements to ensure that they meet Staying Put requirements.

8.8 Independent Fostering agencies (IFAs)

Milton Keynes in-house fostering service is complemented by the use of independent fostering agencies. This provides us with the means to ensure that as many of our children as possible are supported in familial environments and that a residential placement is only used when it is the best way to meet the child or young person’s specific needs e.g. as part of a special education placement or as provision of specialist support/intervention for a child with complex needs.

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Independent Fostering Agency Carers Table 21 – IFA Placements made over the year

Year Number of Children 2012-13 78 2013-14 92 2014-15 123 2015-16 137 2016-17 127 2017-18 120

We have reduced the number of new IFA placements since 2016-17. The majority of children placed with IFA carers are permanently matched and stable.

Development of the Placement Commissioning Service

Milton Keynes now has a Placement Commissioning Service to commission external placements. A list of Preferred Providers has been developed, based on an assessment of quality, location and value for money.

This area is a key priority for us in 2018 as we develop further our commissioning approaches to ensure Best Value principles when our children are placed within independent establishments and although we recognise it is important during matching processes for us to consider all options; we are committed to delivering services within Best Value principles. 8.9 Permanent fostering

Children in foster placements at 31 December 2017 Table 22

Total

Matched placement at Dec-17

Not long term placement Dec-17

with MKC F&F carers 77 26 51

with MKC carers 122 32 90

with IFA carers 77 22 55

Other LA provision 10 0 10

Total 286 80 206

There has been an increased focus on ensuring that Milton Keynes achieves permanence for all children, as appropriate, as soon as possible. When permanence is to be achieved through fostering, Milton Keynes applies clear practice and monitoring processes to ensure effective assessment and matching processes.

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Permanent foster placement matches are considered for all children under 14 at the Adoption and Fostering Panel. Permanent matches of children aged 14 or over are discussed and agreed at the Child Care Review. In addition to the oversight provided by individual Child Care Reviews, a Support Services and Permanence Tracking Panel monitors all children who are in care beyond their second review to ensure permanence plans are progressed for all children in a timely way.

9. SPECIAL GUARDIANSHIP AND RESIDENCE ORDERS

9.1 Special Guardianship

A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is a ‘private law’ order that is made to appoint one or more individuals to be a child’s ‘Special Guardian’. It enables a child to live in a legally secure placement, when they are unable to live with their birth family. It offers more security than a Residence Order as parents cannot discharge it unless they have permission from the court to do so. However, unlike an Adoption Order, it does not end the legal relationship between a child and their parents. Special Guardianship Orders were introduced on 30 December 2005 by the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

Assessments for SGO’s are completed by the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team and post order support is provided by the Fostering Supervision and Support Team.

As at December 2017, 166 children are subject to Special Guardianship Orders funded through Milton Keynes Council. The considerable increase in Special Guardianship Orders in recent years is shown by the comparison to 74 in 2013-14. The trend for SGO to be the preferred permanency order is likely to increase over the duration of this strategy. In general children subject to SGO’s are usually under 10 years of age. Table 23 – Reasons for leaving care by percentage

*2017-18 as at 31st December 2017

Significantly the number of children being made subject to an SGO has shown a marked increase over the last 2 years and during 2017-18 so far especially – 28% of all care periods due to end during 2017-18 so far have been due to an SGO.

12% 11% 10% 17% 28%

33% 43% 43% 23%

26%

55% 47% 47% 60%

46%

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18*

Other end reason Returned home Ended due to SGO

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9.2 Residence Orders

A Residence Order (RO) determines who a child should live with. It is not solely to determine who has parental responsibility for the child, but it does give parental responsibility to the holder of the order for the lifetime of the order. Prior to the introduction of Special Guardianship Orders, Foster Carers were encouraged to seek Residence Orders as a way of securing permanency for children.

Residence Orders have gradually decreased since the introduction of Special Guardianship Orders, which have steadily increased as detailed above.

10. RESIDENTIAL CARE

Milton Keynes applies the principle that residential placements should only be made where the complexity of a child’s needs mean that the child is unable to live in a family setting and it is agreed that a residential setting will best meet their assessed needs. There should be a clear outcome focussed exit plan for children at the point of commissioning a residential placement.

For this reason the provision of residential care continues to be an important part of our strategy and planning, ensuring that we have access to sufficient placement options and that these are as local geographically as possible. Where external specialist placements need to be made, these are kept under regular review with a view to transferring children to a more suitable provision closer to home wherever possible and appropriate. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA7) We want to ensure that residential care is used for the time required to meet a young person’s needs and as part of this we will undertake a review of all residential placements to ensure that they remain appropriate for children’s changing needs, and if not, consider timely exit plans and options alongside their best interests. 10.2 Children in residential placements over time

Table 24

Mar-14 Mar-17 Dec-17

MK Home 5 10 5

External provider home 27 30 26

MK school 2 0 4

External provider school 2 0 5

Medical / nursing provision 4 0 1

Totals 40 40 41

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The number of young people in externally provided residential homes has reverted to the March 2014 figures which is a considerable achievement in gatekeeping new entrants and stepping down young people to fostering and semi-independent provision. There is a concerning growth in the number of children with disabilities in residential schools, however, there are larger numbers within schools and close working together takes place with the Fostering and SEND Services. Whilst this has been tackled to some extent during 2017-18 there a combined focus in analysing and managing the use of residential placements and the associated costs involved. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA8) To further explore the commissioning of residential placements and foster care services from external providers to ensure good evidence of placement sustainability and quality provision. 10.3 Milton Keynes Residential Provision OAKHILL ?

Furze House provides residential short breaks, day care, emergency provision and outreach support for up to ten children and young people with a significant disability aged 5 to 19 years at any one time. This is a council owned home. It is rarely used for children in care. Most children access Furze House for planned patterns of overnight stays. Some children have mixed packages of day care and overnights short breaks, others have just day care. In addition, support can be provided in the family home. Westminster House is a purpose built children’s home which provides long term care for PMLD and ASD children and young people aged 10 – 19 with a learning disability. The service offers 24 hour care and support for 365 days of the year. Westminster House has eight single occupancy bedrooms, with cleat eligibility criteria in place. The Walnuts School is a local authority co-educational community residential special school and a registered children’s home for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The Walnuts School has a purpose built 31-bedded residential facility for students at the school aged 4 – 19 years who require residential support during the school week/term time as part of their educational plan. This includes a four bedded unit that provides 52 week a year provision to young people unable to live at home.

Milton Keynes has implemented the revised National Guidance for Children’s Homes (Children Homes Regulations 2001 amended 2013) and commissions an external service to undertake the monthly Reg. 33 visits to the homes. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA9)

Milton Keynes will be reviewing our local placement offer to children with disabilities and work to ensure placement sufficiency is progressed alongside the consideration of an in-house Family Link Scheme.

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10.4 Independent residential provision in Milton Keynes There are three independent children’s homes in Milton Keynes, two of which (in Walnut Tree and Haversham) are provided by Benjamin UK and one by White Orchid (in Westcroft). The homes provide therapeutic residential care for children and young people aged 12-18 years with complex needs. 10.5 External residential provision We have developed more strategic relationships with both providers and other local authorities in order to ensure that we meet young people’s assessed needs and get best value whenever we need to purchase placements. The focus of this work is to ensure sufficient capacity and choice of high quality local placements and to negotiate these at the best price possible. 10.6 Cross Regional Project (South Central Contract For Children With Complex And Challenging Behaviours)

Background: In 2009, Milton Keynes and five other local authorities came together to form a consortium to block purchase local residential care placements with education. These were for young people with complex and challenging behaviour. Keys Childcare was awarded a five year contract to provide 20 places with an option for an additional 20 places. The contract started on January 2011 with 10 places.

Since this arrangement, work has continued cross regionally with Milton Keynes in the heart of this work, recognising that collaborative working at a regional level is likely to improve placement provision for children and ensure Best Value Principles are engaged across a wider area of service delivery. The contract will be tendered for under the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA10)

Milton Keynes will be reviewing our local placement offer to children with disabilities and work to ensure placement sufficiency is progressed alongside the consideration of an in-house Family Link Scheme. 11. ADOPTION 11.1 Child Adoption data Table 26

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Dec 17 Number of Adoption Orders Granted 27 12 20 10

8

Placement orders granted 10 16 8 17 19

Children adopted aged 5 or over 4 2 5 3

2

Children matched with adopters 23 10 10 19 16

Children with adoption plans not matched on 31 March

21 15 <5 15 22

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Table 26 above shows the fluctuations in the number of children who have been adopted in Milton Keynes. 2017-18 so far has seen a considerable increase in the number of Placement Orders which should ultimately lead to greater numbers of Adoption Orders. The number of children with adoption plans has reduced due to focussed work to ensure that where adoption plans are not progressing these are rescinded and the Placement Order revoked to ensure that the permanency plan and the legal basis for working with the child is appropriate. This work is also reflected in the reducing numbers of children with adoption plans who are not matched at year end.

11.2 Adoption timeliness data Table 30 below shows that timeliness has improved during 2015-16 (the most recent adoption scorecard data available), the timeliness of both indicators is now below the national level, however there is still work to be done to ensure that we are below the thresholds recommended by DfE – 426 days from start of care to being placed for adoption and 121 days from placement order to match date. Table 27

MKC 2013-2016

Average England 2013-2016 Average

At Dec 17

Average days from start of period of Care to being placed for adoption

456 558

484

Average days from Placement Order to match

209 226 182

11.3 Adopter Data

Table 28

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 At 31 Dec 17

Adopters Approved

24 30 16 3

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Milton Keynes, in line with Government direction via amended guidance and measurements and legislation (Children and Families Act 2014), has placed a high priority on increasing the numbers of children adopted and the timeliness in which they are placed. Adoption performance in Milton Keynes has continued to improve. Milton Keynes has prioritised implementation of innovative practice in line with national directives, including foster to adopt placements, Concurrent Planning and Placement Activity days to assist the placement of children waiting for adoption. Milton Keynes has clear procedures for matching, including permanence matching for children with foster carers, and there are robust management monitoring mechanisms in place to track the timeliness of the permanence and matching activity for all children.

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12. SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION FOR CARE LEAVERS “We will support looked after children and young people to make a successful transition into adulthood through the provision of good quality education, training and employment, suitable accommodation and support”. Milton Keynes Council has commissioned Look Ahead Care (voluntary sector provider) to provide of supported accommodation for 16 to 19 year olds. This provision includes 6 different houses to meet a range of needs. Whilst this provision is not solely for care leavers, it is a key provider for young people leaving care. We have also extended placement options through the supported lodgings scheme delivered by the in-house fostering service to meet the needs of those young people moving on from foster care placements who lack the maturity to sustain independent living and need additional support in their transition to independence. Supported lodging providers are assessed using a similar standard to foster carers with approval by the Agency Decision Maker following consideration by the Fostering Panel. Each young person referred for a supported lodging placement is carefully matched to an appropriate provider and a personalised placement agreement and plan is drawn up. There are 14 approved supported lodgings carers delivered by the in-house fostering service to meet the needs of those young people moving on from foster care placements who lack the maturity to sustain independent living and need additional support in their transition to independence. Table 29

Care Leavers Target June 2013

March 2014

Jan 2018

NI147 Care Leavers in suitable accommodation

92% 83% 92% 92%

The above table shows that Milton Keynes have set a planned Milton Keynes Corporate local target of 92% of care leavers being in suitable accommodation. This target is one of Milton Keynes Children’s Services key performance indicators and is reported to both the Chief Executive and Members at quarterly performance meetings. We engage with our Care Leavers to continue to improve our range of accommodation options for our young people. There are 153 young adults currently open to our Leaving Care Team.

Table 30

Main Activity Type Count Percentage

Education, Employment or Training (EET) 84 58.3%

Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)

60 41.7%

Table 31

Suitability of Accommodation Count Percentage

1 - Accommodation is considered Suitable 133 91.7%

2 - Accommodation is considered Unsuitable

12 8.3%

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Table 32

Accommodation Type Count Percentage

B - With parents or relatives 21 14.7%

C - Community home or other form of residential care

9 6.3%

D - Semi-independent, transitional accommodation

35 24.5%

E - Supported lodgings 14 9.8%

R - Residence not known 2 1.4%

S - No fixed abode / homeless 6 4.2%

T - Foyers 2 1.4%

U - Independent living 47 32.9%

V - Emergency accommodation 1 0.7%

X - In custody 3 2.1%

Y - Other accommodation 1 0.7%

Z - With Former foster carers 2 1.4%

In 2017 an external review was undertaken and a Leaving Care Service Improvement Plan was agreed by the Corporate Parenting Committee in January 2018. The standard of recording of care leaver’s information on the electronic system has improved and is regularly updated. Performance in Milton Keynes is better than the national picture. As at March 2017 the national breakdown for 19-21 year olds was:

87% Accommodation suitable, 7% unsuitable and 10% not known 50% EET, 40% NEET and 10% not known.

13. Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Table 33 – Number of UASC

Mar-2013 Mar-2014 Mar-2015 Mar-2016 Mar-2017

England 1,950 2,060 2,750 4,300 4,560

Milton Keynes 5 10 25 40 40

Milton Keynes currently has 29 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in care as at 31 March 2018. These children and young people need placements that meet their cultural needs and also address the trauma and isolation they are likely to experience. They have arrived ‘spontaneously’ and not through the National Transfer Scheme. It is recognised that our numbers have dropped significantly this year however in the year to date four arrivals were assessed as adults on completion of their age assessments and two were reunited with family members and three were reported as gone missing. These children are cared forwithin Foster Care Placements or in Supported Accommodation.

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Table 34

Placement Provider

K2 - Homes and Hostels

P2 - Independent Living (inc. visiting Support)

U1 - Foster placement with relative or friend- matched fostering

U6 - Placement with other foster carer - not long term or FFA

Grand Total

PR1 - Own provision by LA 1 10 11

PR2 - Other LA provision 2 2

PR4 - Private Provision 2 3 7 12

PR5 - Voluntary/Third Sector Provision

4 4

Grand Total 4 7 1 17 29

Milton Keynes receives daily funding from central government that contributes to the cost of caring for these children and young people until they turn 18. The rates only cover the costs of ‘In House’ Foster Care placement arrangements, meaning we need to ensure we have the right level of skills and knowledge available to ensure all cultural and language needs are met. From July 2016 if they qualify for leaving care support there is also a grant available. The Home Office has requested all Local Authorities to accommodate UACS at a ratio of 0.07% of their Child Population. For example, currently the mid-year estimate of 67,150 0-17 year olds would mean that our maximum UASC figure would be 47. At present there are three Schemes in operation which oversee the dispersal of children:

The National Transfer Scheme – dispersal from Kent and now Calais (funded from the grant). The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement to complement SVPR, Middle East & North African families

(funding as SVPR – all cost covered). UASC in Europe (unknown funding).

The impact of the asylum process, including undertaking age assessments, requires both resources and skilled professionals so it is important we access the different funding arrangements, depended upon the way these children have been received. Table 35 – age at start of care for current UASC

Age Percentage

13 or under 9%

14 26%

15 32%

16 32%

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14. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Milton Keynes Council recognises that the accommodation of a child or young person by the local authority is a very serious decision and one that should not be taken without due process. The Children’s Social Care (CSC) Resources Panel ensures that the values of our Family Support Strategy are delivered in practice. The panel meets weekly to consider all requests for accommodation or care proceedings, ensuring all support options have been considered and will look to provide resources to support children within their family where it is safe to do so. Where placements are required, the panel will agree to the resource required and will commission external provision where there are no in-house options to meet the identified need. Monitoring of the appropriateness of residential and IFA placements is further enhanced through the External Placements Panel which meets monthly to review all such placements. The Panel comprises the Heads of Delivery for Social Work and Corporate Parenting, the Commissioning Manager and the Fostering Team Manager, with key links to the Milton Keynes Council finance service. The panel’s role is to review all placements to ensure that that they remain the best way to meet the child or young person’s needs, to consider (and challenge where necessary) care plans and ensure that appropriate exit plans are in place. The panel also enables effective budget management by ensuring that accurate financial forecasting is in place. The Emergency Accommodation Panel has been set up primarily to support and prevent family breakdown where social care is asked to accommodate a young person in a crisis. Value: “There are unique advantages for children experiencing life in their own birth family and, in most circumstances; children needs are best met by being cared for within their families” The Emergency Accommodation Panel aims to ensure that this value is delivered in practice. Robust challenge and solutions will be explored at this panel for those young people whose parents are requesting care. Support packages and immediate Family Group Conference services will be accessed via this panel in order to support families and prevent young people coming into local authority care.

Placements At A Distance are agreed at point of placement by the Service Director and monitored on a quarterly basis by the Service Director and the Heads of Delivery for Social Work and Corporate Parenting.

A monthly Support Services and Permanence Tracking Meeting chaired by the Head of Delivery Corporate Parenting monitors plans for all children to ensure early permanency planning, quality assurance of SGO assessments and oversight of post placement support plans. It also considers requests for support to adoptive and Special Guardianship placements and is chaired by the Head of Delivery Corporate Parenting.

The stability of placements is important to achieve the best outcomes for children in our care. This is monitored by front line managers and is in place to track those children and young people who have had one or more placement moves within the year and to ensure that additional support is organised to both child and the foster carers to help maintain placements. This group also monitors those children who have been in care for 2.5 years and in the same placement for 2 years.

A monthly Performance management meeting for all managers with the Service Director, Children’s Social Care, which considers key Performance information including that relating to Looked After Children.

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More broadly, as in other Local Authorities, a well-established team of Independent Reviewing Officers chair all Child Care Reviews to ensure that effective care planning is in place, the voice of the child is heard in the review process; and to monitor the implementation of care plans so that placements and plans deliver positive outcomes for children in care. They attend and provide summary reports to the six weekly performance meeting.

The combined Fostering and Adoption Panel consider performance information about the placement services. The independent chair of both panels attends a quarterly meeting with the registered managers of the services and the Service Director/Head of Delivery for Corporate Parenting to review the performance of the panels and the quality of work presented to them. 15. FURTHER SUPPORT SERVICES FOR MILTON KEYNES LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN A primary mental health worker has been appointed and is linked to CAMHS who provides support to placements to avoid breakdown is placed within the Corporate Parenting team. Two Specialist LAC Nurses are co-located in the Corporate Parenting Team to ensure coordinated provision which meets the health needs of children in care and care leavers. The Adoption Reform grant referred to earlier has funded designated posts to support the effective and timely adoption of children. The council’s adoption reform project has identified that a play therapist and an additional specialist adoption social worker have had the greatest impact. The project board is proposing a funding arrangement which will enable these posts to continue beyond March 2015 without additional costs to the council. Milton Keynes provides a well-developed post adoption support service, elements of which have been externally commissioned. The service will be reviewed to inform and recommissioned when the current contract expires. 16. SUMMARY The overall picture in Milton Keynes is of a good and improving performance in relation to Placement Sufficiency. The number of children who are Looked After has remained below national rates, despite an increasing local child population and national drivers which can add pressure to care numbers. Milton Keynes is however committed to further strengthening its placement sufficiency and to widen the accommodation options and care arrangements for our Children in Care and Care Leavers. To assist in this drive we are committed to 10 Sufficiency Review Actions from this plan:- Sufficiency Review Action (SRA1) A key and ongoing element of the Sufficiency strategy is to continue to increase the number and range of placement provision in or near to Milton Keynes Sufficiency Review Action (SRA2) A key action arising from the Sufficiency Strategy will be to increase the number of in-house foster care households that can take teenagers

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Sufficiency Review Action (SRA3) Whilst the overall coverage of foster care is good and in line with national averages, the key area for foster care service development is with the 10-15 age range, there remains the need to further develop the provision and availability of foster care for this age range Sufficiency Review Action (SRA4) A further linked action from the Sufficiency Strategy in response to this increased demand will be to consider whether a Family and Friends team within the Corporate Parenting Service should be established in light of the increasing numbers of Family and Friends Carers Sufficiency Review Action (SRA5) Analysis of table 19 indicates that the key area of recruitment in relation to the ethnicity of foster carers will be to work to recruit more households which reflect a dual heritage background. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA6) Milton Keynes has been at the forefront of developing Staying Put provision. Further work is being undertaken to ensure compliance of local arrangements with national requirements and the MKC Sufficiency Strategy further to develop Milton Keynes practice and underpinning framework, policy and procedures. Future work will include developing our commissioning of Independent Fostering Placements to ensure that they meet Staying Put requirements. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA7) We want to ensure that residential care is used for the time required to meet a young person’s needs and as part of this we will undertake a review of all residential placements to ensure that they remain appropriate for children’s changing needs, and if not, consider timely exit plans and options alongside their best interests. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA8) To further explore the commissioning of residential placements and foster care services from external providers to ensure good evidence of placement sustainability and quality provision. Sufficiency Review Action (SRA9) Milton Keynes will be reviewing our local placement offer to children with disabilities and work to ensure placement sufficiency is progressed alongside the consideration of an in-house Family Link Scheme. In this way, we believe further progress will be made in Placement Sufficiency across Milton Keynes.