Agenda item

To receive a summary of the ‘bright spots’ survey results for Brent children who are looked after and the plans to address areas of development. The item will be presented by young people and the Participation Team.

The Committee received a presentation from Alice Weavers (Participation and Engagement Manager, Brent Council) and members of CLIA which provided an analysis of the Bright Spots Survey ‘Your Life, Your Care’, which garnered the views of looked after children and young people aged 4-17 years old.  In presenting the findings, the following key points were highlighted:

• There had been three different versions of the survey to cater to each age range, 4-7 years old, 8-11 years old and 11-17 years old, which had garnered a total of 82 responses.
• The survey had either been filled out by the young person themselves or alongside a trusted adult who was separate from the child’s social worker or foster carer, or someone directly involved in their care.
• The survey asked about the child’s experience of being in care, what they thought could be better and how they felt about themselves.
• Some of the areas of success were highlighted in terms of placement:
  • 11-17 year olds in Brent were statistically more likely to have stayed in the same place since going into care compared to those in other local authorities.
  • 93% of 4-17 year olds reported ‘always’ feeling safe where they lived, which was higher than the general population.
  • All 4-7 year olds felt settled at home and liked their bedrooms, and all 4-11 year olds trusted the adults they lived with.
• Areas of success were also noted regarding social workers:
  • 11-17 year olds in Brent were statistically more likely to have kept the same social worker in the previous 12 months compared to those in other local authorities.
  • All children aged 8-11 years old knew who their social worker was.
  • There were high levels of trust in social workers, with 100% of children aged 4-11 years old reporting they trusted their social worker.
  • 11-17 year olds were statistically more likely to have had a full explanation for why they were in care (96%) compared to those in other local authorities (78%).
• There had also been successful outcomes in feelings towards education and wellbeing:
  • 83% of 11-17 year olds liked school or college ‘a lot’ or ‘a bit’, which was higher than the general population.
  • 91% of 8-17 year olds felt the adults they lived with showed an interest in their education.
  • More 11-17 year olds had spent time outdoors at least once in the previous week than the general population.
  • 87% of 11-17 year olds reported being happy with how they looked.
• Alongside successes, there were some areas which needed focus to improve:
  • More young people in Brent reported not having a good friend compared to the general population.
  • Some young people were struggling with low levels of positivity about their future and life satisfaction.
  • 25% of 8-11 year olds did not know they could ask to speak to their social worker on their own.
  • Some young people wanted to spend more time with their family, including parents and siblings.
• Next steps were for the Brent Care Journeys 2.0 Younger Group to review the findings in a workshop to come up with potential solutions and projects. Service areas would then develop an action plan in consultation with young people, using the principles of co-design and feedback so that young people were leading on projects. Brent Care Journeys 2.0 would also review the care leavers survey when the results had been received.

The Chair thanked officers for the updates and then invited comments and questions from Committee members with the following raised:

The Committee raised concern that 25% of respondents did not know they could speak with their social worker alone, and asked whether young people were given a set of expectations when they met their social worker. Kelli Eboji (Head of LAC and Permanency, Brent Council) advised the Committee that there was no standard introduction when a child met their social worker with no set script. Going forward, she thought this would be something that could be introduced, using a checklist introduction. It was highlighted that those messages should be reinforced at set intervals, as when a child first came into care they were given a lot of information at a potentially traumatic time and may not retain information given to them immediately. 

In considering that some children in care did not know they could speak with their social worker alone, the Committee asked how a child who was struggling and not feeling settled in their placement could raise their concerns if they did not feel they could speak with their foster carer. Officers highlighted that concerns could be raised with trusted adults at school or their Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). There was also an Independent Advocacy Service commissioned by the Council that children in care could use. Nigel Chapman (Corporate Director Children and Young People, Brent Council) highlighted the importance of children having a consistent social worker who built a good relationship with the young person and was speaking to the young person on their own at every visit so that they could hear how the young person was feeling.

The Committee were pleased that 100% of 4-11 year olds trusted the adults they were placed with.

In terms of the response rate of 32%, the Committee asked whether this was comparative to other boroughs and what the Council did to encourage engagement with the survey. Kelli Eboji highlighted that it was a collective effort across children’s services to receive responses, with members of participation staff and personal advisors also trying to get responses. The challenge in gathering responses was because the trusted adults who assisted children to complete their responses could not be their primary carers or social worker but key people in their life such as IROs, trusted adults in schools and contact workers. Officers first port of call in getting responses to the survey was to engage the Brent Virtual School (BVS) who would then contact all the trusted adults within a school. However, it was highlighted that the survey was long and could raise emotive themes for children in care, with feedback suggesting that children and young people did not want to disclose some information to a professional they did not know well, and some young people did not want to speak about their life experiences in a school environment, preferring for that to be kept separate. As such, the service then looked to engage other professionals such as pastoral support from the Brent Virtual School and personal advisors. This was more successful in reaching children and young people within the borough but was more challenging for those out of borough.

RESOLVED:

i)              To note the content of the report and acknowledge the improvement in social worker stability.