What will we do 2017-2020:

• Improve liaison with local Kinship Care Network to ensure their involvement in strategic planning

• Develop opportunities for alternative supports for kinship carers

• Revise Kinship Care Policy

• Engage in the National Root and Branch Review of Looked After Children Services

What are the plans and structures that will support us to succeed?

• CPP Inspection Improvement Action Plan

• West Dunbartonshire Council Local Housing Strategy

Progress made

WD HSCP Kinship care arrangements are directed by legislation enshrined in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, and organised in line with local and national guidance. Kinship care arrangements are managed via team around the child arrangements, with regular reviews as prescribed within the Looked After Children (Scotland )Regulations of 2009.

Kinship figures for West Dunbartonshire over the period of the ICSP were as follows;

Period Carers Children

2017-2018 144 204

2018-2019 181 246

2019-2020 191 261

The total spend for kinship care for 2019/20 was £1,832,827.

The increase in kinship arrangements locally is a feature of the high levels of deprivation locally coupled with a significant local ACES profile and complex associated need.

High levels of poverty, deprivation and associated issues for families such as mental health, addiction and domestic abuse has resulted in an increase of children and young people named on the child protection register . However this trend shifted during the last period of the ICSP resulting in more children becoming looked after, particularly in kinship care, as they could not be safely maintained within their home environments. Kinship care is always the first consideration where children are unable to remain within their parents care.

In addition to the financial support provided, children and young people within kinship arrangements are provided with additional support if required in respect of their health, leisure and educational requirements. Kinship carers are also offered additional support in respect of development opportunities regarding trauma and other associated issues such as the impact of domestic abuse.

These are areas in which we continue to build capacity going forward and will feature within the refreshed ICSP. .

To support involvement and engagement of care experienced children and young people in school and the wider community, the post of Involvement and Engagement officer has been developed to :

• Support and guide establishments in the involvement and engagement of care experienced children and young people and families in line with statutory obligations; ensuring milestones and risks are understood, recorded and met;

• Maintains systems of tracking, reporting and managing attendance, involvement, engagement and impact of interventions on above;

• To support specialist settings in ensuring entitlement to broad range of curricular experiences and opportunities; particularly in the expressive arts curriculum areas.

• Work with local partners Working 4U and Y-Sort-it to deliver the Care Connections Programme.

National Root and Branch Review of LAC

West Dunbartonshire Council was heavily engaged in this process with all of our care experienced children and young people being supported and enabled to participate in the review process. Various local discussion groups, surveys and locally organised meetings were engaged to look at the real life issues being presented by children in our own care establishments. Support was provided to our children and young people to attend local and national conferences, enabling their experiences to be heard and to contribute towards the independent review.

From the discussions held with our own children we were able to reflect some local changes to service provision. Additionally, as information was coming out from the reviewing process we were able to consider the ‘stop’ ‘start’ processes ensuring that practices that were being identified as dated, unhelpful or needed fine tuning was focussed upon. In the last year staff and young people from our own children’s houses presented a workshop surrounding the importance of language from within the care sector, they explored the labelling that is presented in such environments and have managed to both challenge and change some of the labels that are often used – one example of this is the removal of the name ‘children’s home’ that that of simply the house. A small change, but holding significant strength.

Some of our care experienced young people across Dunbartonshire became actively involved in the whole process, supported by local staff and organisations such as Who Cares Scotland. An example of this being the attendance at the 1000 voices conferences. Feedback from those who attended expressed a strong value in having attended and felt that their opinions were being listened to and well considered within the review process.

While engaged in participation in the 1000 voices conference there was an opportunity for one of our young people to speak directly to the First Minister about her own lived experience. During this discussion the young person invited the First Minister to the Burnside Children’s House for lunch – an invitation that was accepted by Nicola Sturgeon and a low key visit was co-ordinated.

Building on this connection with the first minister there was a few local young people who were invited to visit the First Minister at the parliamentary buildings in Edinburgh. This enabled a private discussion with the First minister and an opportunity for the young people to participate in a Holyrood question time. One of our young people was actively involved in the overall campaign at a national level and their voice and image was utilised in developing some of the key messages that was coming out of the review.

Our participation in the independent review has enabled the staff, families and children across West Dunbartonshire to place their own views on what needed to change. The developments from the review has continued to shape our practice and we are active participants in the final outcome and driver report – The Promise. The root and branch review has provided us with a significant platform to work from and the outcomes derived from The promise Report has enabled us to continue the focus on best practice and best outcomes for our care experienced children and young people.

West Dunbartonshire Council are committed to the principles set out in The promise and our staff will strive to provide our care experienced children the childhood they deserve. It is recognised that our staff, including the Champions Board will play a significant part in shaping the desired outcomes that are held within pledges and commitments reached in The Promise report.