Agenda item

This report aims to brief members of the Board on issues pertinent to care leavers and why it is important to consider the specific health and wellbeing needs of this group.

The report provides an overview of issues raised by care leavers and an update on some initial scoping work to develop a targeted response, and it aims to secure a collaborative approach in York to corporate parenting and the Board are asked to support this work.

The Director of Nursing & Quality, NHS Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and Corporate Director, Childrens and Education Services presented the report on a Corporate Parent approach to support the Health and Wellbeing of Care Leavers.

The Corporate Director, Children’s and Education introduced the report, detailing discussion with a national advisor about areas or strength and improvement. He stated that young people in care and care leavers were twice as likely to leave home at 18 and need Corporate Parenting support around them.

The Director of Nursing & Quality, NHS Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership clarified that the official legal definition of a care leaver is someone who has spent 13 weeks under care of the Local Authority before their 16^th birthday but the Care Leavers Association definition is more nuanced, specifying any child who has been in care – voluntarily or via Court Order – and in the various ways we understand that – fostering and residential care.

She confirmed that the Integrated Care Board’s Children’s and Young People’s Board was established in January and it was determined that there was good reason to protect care leavers, with some action having been taken already.

She stated that adults that had spent time as Children in Care between 1971 and 2001 had lower prospects, lower employment, and the York Trust had supported those who wish to pursue a career in Mental Health. She confirmed that having studied feasibility and costs, free prescriptions for care leavers would currently impact just four young people across the authority area. Dental care, and glasses were still proving a challenge to progress.

The board asked whether this strategy constituted part of the care leavers covenant, and how the local authority ensured care leavers prospects were improved.

The Corporate Director of Childrens and Education responded by explaining that all Local Authorities had a Local Offer, and City of York Council ensured that care leavers went into the gold band and additionally that the houses provided had white goods. He also explained that the Council were working with local businesses towards not only a prioritised interview but also developing a gold/silver/bronze banding of partner employers to improve understanding of the demands of working with young people who have been in care.

While the Director of Nursing & Quality, NHS Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership did not have specific statistics about costings for glasses and dental care for Children in Care/Care Leavers, she did not believe this amounted to a substantial sum and suggested the authority might be able to subsidise this internally. Councillor Mason felt he may have a solution regarding eyecare and offered to personally pursue this issue.

The Director of Nursing & Quality, NHS Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership said that there were currently no young people on the steering group and she definitely felt this should be a priority going forwards. Corporate Director Children’s and Education said there was more work to do but that this would be in the local offer.

The board acknowledged the national debate over care leavers having protected characteristics and that national government had yet to offer protected status to this cohort, but that a lot of authorities had addressed this locally at a council level.

Resolved: That the Health and Wellbeing Board noted and commented on the contents and implications of the report.

Reason: To provide the Health and Wellbeing Board with an update on Developing a Corporate Parent Approach to support the Health and Wellbeing of Care Leavers.