Agenda item

Motion: Corporate Parenting

Minutes:

Proposed by Councillor Wendy Clements

Seconded by Councillor Cherry Povall

 

(1)  Council recognises that:

 

(a)  It is the Corporate Parent of all the Looked After Children in Wirral and that looking after other people’s children is one of the most important things that councils do;

 

(b)  there are currently over 600 children in the care of Wirral Borough Council; and

 

(c)  all Councillors must ask themselves “are we providing the best care possible to our looked after children and care leavers”

 

(2)  Therefore Council:

 

(a)  calls on the Cabinet to ensure sufficient funds are available to achieve this “best possible care” as well as to continue to fund preventative and Early Intervention Strategies which may in time reduce the number of children who have to be taken into care;

 

(b)  recognises that recent concerns raised by the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Runaway and Missing Children & Looked After Children and Care Leavers “Children missing from care” cannot be ignored and local data on runaways needs to be examined and requests all relevant information be reported to an early meeting of the Council’s CYPD Overview & Scrutiny Committee; and

 

(c)  salutes the Children in Care Council as a dedicated group of young people who provide a voice for Looked After Children and Care-Leavers and congratulates them for their input into local initiatives such as “therightsideofcare” website and information pack for children and young people when they first come into care.

 

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2)

 

Proposed by Councillor Adrian Jones

Seconded by Councillor Ann McLachlan

 

Amend Paragraph (2) (a) with the following:

Replace ‘Cabinet’ with ‘Government’

 

Having applied the guillotine in accordance with Standing Order 7(8) the Council did not debate this matter.

 

The amendment was put and carried (60:0) (One abstention)

 

The substantive motion was put and carried (60:0) (One abstention)

 

Resolved (60:0) (one abstention) –

 

(1)  That Council recognises that:

 

(a)  It is the Corporate Parent of all the Looked After Children in Wirral and that looking after other people’s children is one of the most important things that councils do;

 

(b)  there are currently over 600 children in the care of Wirral Borough Council; and

 

(c)  all councillors must ask themselves “are we providing the best care possible to our looked after children and care leavers”;

 

(2)  Therefore Council:

 

(a)  calls on the Government to ensure sufficient funds are available to achieve this “best possible care” as well as to continue to fund preventative and Early Intervention Strategies which may in time reduce the number of children who have to be taken into care;

 

(b)  recognises that recent concerns raised by the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Runaway and Missing Children & Looked After Children and Care Leavers “Children missing from care” cannot be ignored and local data on runaways needs to be examined and requests all relevant information be reported to an early meeting of the Council’s CYPD Overview & Scrutiny Committee; and

 

(c)  salutes The Children in Care Council as a dedicated group of young people who provide a voice for Looked After Children and Care-Leavers and congratulates them for their input into local initiatives such as “therightsideofcare” website and information pack for children and young people when they first come into care.