Issue - meetings

[To receive assurance on the use of unregistered placements in Wolverhampton.]

Alison Hinds, Head of Children and Young People in Care presented the Assurance About the Use of Unregistered Placement in Wolverhampton report and highlighted salient points. The report provided reassurances to Board members regarding how the safety and wellbeing of young people aged 16-18 placed in unregulated supported accommodation was being promoted.  It was clarified that unregulated accommodation was a placement in accommodation that was not Ofsted inspected.

It was noted that in March 2019, Nadhim Zahawi MP, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families had written to Directors of Children’s Services and Chairs of Local Safeguarding Boards in all authorities highlighting the challenges face by many authorities in relation to these unregulated services and a report was presented to Children’s Leadership Team to offer reassurances for how placements were made and monitored from a quality assurance perspective.

It was reported that, since then a number of improvements to placement processes had been devised as listed at paragraph 3.8 and the progress of these improvements monitored as outlined in paragraph 3.9 of the report.

It was noted that all young people in unregulated supported accommodation would continue to receive support with their health and wellbeing as detailed in the Local Offer for Care Leavers.

Resolved:

That the Assurance About the Use of Unregistered Placement in Wolverhampton report be received.