Agenda item

[To consider the Health Care Service Annual Report in relation to Looked After Children]

Dr Chitra Ramalingam, Designated Doctor Looked After Children and Fiona Brennan, Designated Nurse Looked After Children presented the Health Services for Looked After Children Annual Report for the period September 2014 to August 2015.

Cllr Peter O’Neill commented that the data in respect of teenage conception and under-18 conception related to 2013 and suggested that more up to date data would be available in the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report. The Service Director, Children and Young People explained that there was a delay in the publication of Public Health data but that it was believed that the teenage pregnancy in the city was at its lowest ever rate. The Designated Doctor Looked After Children advised that the data to be published shortly would relate to 2014 as there was an 18 month delay in publishing Public Health data.

Cllr Julie Hodgkiss suggested that an a comparison exercise of data against the national data should be undertaken together with an attempt to compare the data in relation to Looked After Children as opposed to the population in general. She enquired why this data was not readily available. The Head of Looked After Children explained that such statistics could only be collected and collated if the necessary disclosures were made. The Service Director, Children and Young People commented that the figures also included Care Leavers who the Council had no manner in which to require disclosure of relevant data. The Head of Looked After Children reported that an exercise in gathering of data in connection with usage of contraception amongst Looked After Children was also being undertaken currently.

The Designated Doctor Looked After Children referred to the high rate of out of city placements which had led to a delay in meeting the statutory timescales in conducting health assessments for Looked After Children. She advised on the steps which had been taken to overcome this problem and to regularise the situation. The Head of Looked After Children reminded the Board that out of city placements were only used if no suitable in city placements were available or where specialist placements were required. She reminded the Board on the high level of the Looked After population and on the action taken to reduce the number.

Cllr Jasbinder Dehar referred to paragraph 4.6 of the report insofar as it related to the delay in meeting statutory timescales on health assessments for children placed in Wolverhampton. The Designated Doctor Looked After Children advised that this had been for two reasons: i) Delays in referrals; ii) The review of staffing arrangements coupled with staff shortages. She assured the Board that 90% of assessments were now undertaken within the statutory timescales. The Service Director, Children and Young People, reminded the Board that it received information regularly on this matter via the Performance Monitoring Data reports.

Resolved:

1. That the report be received and noted;

2. That a further report be submitted to the Board and the Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel in relation to a comparison of the teenage pregnancy and the number of under-18 conceptions against the national average figures in due course.