Agenda item

To update the Committee on the progress of the improvement journey in respect of services for vulnerable children and young people, with particular focus on children at risk of or experiencing exploitation or going missing, or young people who are at risk of homelessness.

Ms Jeanette Richards, Interim Director of Children’s Services presented an update report on progress in relation to the Children’s Service’s improvement journey in respect of services for vulnerable children and young people, with particular focus on children at risk of or experiencing exploitation or going missing and young people who were at risk of homelessness.

Ms Richards informed the Committee of a new pilot initiative scheduled to begin in April 2021 which would focus on out of hours contextual safeguarding disruption. She explained that it would be a collaboration between the Community Safety Partnership and Awaken social care staff. The Committee was informed that most activity involving young people occurred at weekends and evenings and that the pilot would provide an additional window into the lived experience of children and young people. The pilot would include a visible presence in areas and locations of concern including arcades, train and bus stations. The Committee requested that further information and initial results from the pilot be brought back to a future meeting of the Committee.

The Committee requested clarification around the term ‘intentionally homeless’ in particular in relation to families whereby children could not in any way be held responsible for the actions of their parents in becoming homeless. Ms Richards reported that the Council’s support services had been working in conjunction with housing services to provide support to families to avoid situations of homelessness and her understanding was that no family in Blackpool had been made homeless in recent times as a result of the commitment to protect children, with support put in place where necessary. With regards to the phrase ‘intentionally homeless’, the Committee questioned whether the definition would include incidences whereby a family had chosen to vacate a property in another part of the country and then moved to Blackpool seeking accommodation. Ms Richards advised that the responsibility to house such a family would lie with the originating local authority.

Committee Members sought details of the continuing support offered to vulnerable young people on turning 18 years of age. Ms Richards reported that Blackpool’s young people who had experienced care remained the responsibility of the Council, with the Care Leavers team offering support. In relation to young people who had not experienced care, but who were in receipt of support from Children’s Services, Ms Richards informed Committee Members that only a small proportion would be eligible for support from Adult Services but she advised that offerings of transition support were in the process of being reviewed, along with housing support services. The Committee requested that more specific data around the support given and the number of vulnerable young people accessing services be brought back to a future meeting of the Committee.

In terms of child exploitation, the Committee questioned if any liaison was undertaken with local business partners, in particular taxi firms, in order to identify any suspected cases of child exploitation. Ms Richards acknowledged the critical importance of sharing intelligence in order to disrupt such activity and to help to safeguard Blackpool’s children and young people, assuring the Committee that any such information received would be considered in a multi-agency setting within the Awaken team on a daily basis. In relation specifically to taxi services, Ms Richards advised that robust arrangements were in place around the licensing of such firms, including the condition that all taxi drivers must complete safeguarding training prior to the granting of the licence. In addition, in cases where concerns had been raised in relation to potential criminal exploitation, Community Safety Officers had engaged with taxi companies in order to open lines of communication and gather intelligence from taxi drivers. Discussion occurred around incidences whereby local taxi firms had deliberately circumvented Blackpool’s requirement to undertake additional safeguarding training by applying for their licence to another authority in a different part of the country. Ms Richards agreed to highlight the issue to colleagues in Community Safety to investigate further. Councillor Lynn Williams, Leader of the Council (Children) acknowledged the identified issue and noted the importance of all local taxi firms adhering to the guidance around child exploitation.

The Committee agreed:

1.      That further information and initial results from the contextual safeguarding pilot be brought back to a future meeting of the Committee;

2.      That more specific data around the support given and the number of vulnerable young people accessing services be brought back to a future meeting of the Committee.