Calderdale scrutiny board focuses on looked-after children it tough financial circumstances

Members of Calderdale Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Board heard the council’s goal is to have many more places available within Calderdale which are much less costly than placements outside the area which are in short supply nationally and very expensive as a result.

Rob Murray, the council’s Assistant Director for Early Intervention and Safeguarding, presented the annual Children Looked After report to the board.

Developing an in-house place for placements at Alloe Field View at Illingworth, Halifax, had largely been on hold during the pandemic but work was restarting this month, he said.

Board Chair Coun Colin Raistrick (Ind, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) said the numbers of children in external placements was 22 in the previous report and this had risen in the last year to 29.

He asked: “The reason it has gone up, is it because we haven’t used Alloe Field View or is it because the strategy of not using them isn’t working?”

Mr Murray said external placements were only used as a last resort.

“We are confident that where external places are being used it is for specific reasons,” he said.

Head of Children and Young People’s Services, Julie Jenkins, discussions were also under way with the council’s asset management team about other buildings the council owned which might be suitable to add to Alloe Field View, possibly giving provision in the upper and lower Calder Valley as well as Halifax.

“We know it’s a priority to get children back into the borough. The numbers seem high in that report at teh end of the year but they have come down slightly,” she said.

Coun Anne Cryer (Lab, Ovenden) said she would like to see a breakdown of placements and fostering places.

“I accept children have to be outside because of a number of reasons.

“We could see just how many of those children it would be feasible to support internally, rather than going outside the borough, then see what premises might be feasible for them,” she said.

Coun Raistrick raised the issue of competition huge fostering organisations brought to individual authorities.

But Mr Murray said a lot of foster carers would rather be supported by a local authority with the personal touch and closer support it could bring and the cost of independent places was more than double those the council provided “in-house.”

“We should be aiming for our children to be cared for by Calderdale foster carers,” he said.

Coun Raistrick said not enough foster carers were being recruited and the board should look at why this was and examine possible solutions.

In the case of adopting, Coun Amanda Parsons-Hulse (Lib Dem, Warley) was concerned at the number of potential adopters who did not get past the first stage of the process – the reasons should be scrutinised, she said.

Having had experience of the process, she said: “It’s got to be one of the most horrible experiences I have ever had.”

Coun Parsons-Hulse said 800 people went through stage one of the process but in the event only 100 people adopted a child that year.

“What happens with the 700 prospective adopters thinking this is not a very easy experience?

“I was just really shocked,” she said.

The subject is one of the items the board will scrutinise in the coming months.