Agenda item

Purpose

a)    This report will provide information on our work to support children who are in our care to return home to a parent in a planned way where safe to do so. The Going Home approach is an extension of our Family Safeguarding model of practice and has developed and evolved in response to the learning and outcomes for the children and families and involved in reunification.

b)    Portsmouth City Council's Going Home work is based on the knowledge that many children and young people in care have a wish to return to their birth families. Often they will gravitate towards families after leaving care or make contact while in care themselves, including using social media. But this is typically unplanned and takes place without resolving the issues that led to the child being taken into care in the first place.

c)    This report will update on children and families who have been supported with a Going Home plan during the period of January 2023 to May 2024.

Reneé Eddy, Service Lead for Building Your Futures and Adoption, introduced the report.  The Service Lead explained that the 'Going Home' work is based on the knowledge that many children and young people in care have a wish to return to their birth families.  The project is designed to support looked after children return home to a parent in a planned way, where it is safe to do so.  The plan is to continue to review and further develop this model, learning from those with lived experience of the work.

The Cabinet Member expressed her pride in the passion shown by the whole team in supporting the children we care for.  Councillor Tom Cole commented that he had enjoyed the reading report, particularly the stories and lived experiences it contained, and he noted that it included the first mention of Paddington Bear he had seen in a Council report.

Members' questions

In response to members' questions, the Service Lead for Building Your Futures and Adoption and the Head of Children We Care For officers clarified that:

·       In the past, the rate of children returning to their parents' care was low and failure rates were high. 

·       The 'Going Home' project aims to support children and their families by understanding areas of need, assessing risk and developing a pathway and plan of support. 

·       Support includes helping build or restore relationships between children and their parents and working alongside other agencies including Adult Family Safeguarding and Lifelong Links for sustained periods. 

·       Children's Services benefits from a stable team of social workers although there are always challenges in managing demand and capacity. 

·       Every 'Going Home' plan is different and reflects the individual needs of the child and their family. 

·       Once a child and their family are on the pathway, progress is tracked weekly, and the team responds quickly to changing circumstances. 

·       The aim is to build relationships within families over time so that it is not necessary to bring children back into care.

Members' comments

The Cabinet Member noted that there were always challenges around measuring the success of preventative work.  Councillor Hannah Brent commented that it was hard to imagine what many of the children have been through and that the work to support them was outstanding. 

Councillor Suzy Horton commented that the report had brought the work to life by telling the stories of children and their families and clearly showed that every case was different and needed a bespoke package of support. 

The Director of Children's Services noted that the benefits of bringing adult practitioners into the service has been immense.  Better stability within the social work team delivers benefits to children and their families and social workers want to work in a better service, notwithstanding the difficult and hard decisions that need to be made.  She commented that the social workers in this team often travel away from home and their own children to support the children we care for and to bring those families back together. 

The Cabinet Member commented that Members now had a better understanding of this important work, and she asked that the team to be informed that the report had been very well received.  Councillor Suzy Horton and other councillors present also asked that their thanks be conveyed to the team. 

The report, which was for information, was noted.