Agenda item

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children looked after by Powys County Council

To receive a report on the Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children looked after by Powys County Council.

Minutes:

Background:

It was agreed that the introduction and background of this item would be held in public session and the discussion would be held in confidential session.
The Portfolio Holder for a Caring Powys introduced the purpose of the report, from points 1.1-1.2.
The Senior Strategic Commissioning Manager introduced the background of the report:
- The report aimed to update Health and Care Scrutiny Committee on the numbers of UASChildren in Powys and how children's services were enabled to meet their needs and the associated costs.
- The handling of UASChildren in Powys was governed by a robust policy framework that complied with national and international laws.
- The National Transfer scheme (NTS) was a mandatory scheme which supported Local Authorities across the UK by providing specific payment arrangements. Over the last 18 months Powys had received 33 UASChildren referrals.
- 17 UASChildren had been placed within 5 days and earned the Local Authority additional one-off funding, which had reached £15,000 per child but had now reverted to the original £5k per child.
- As of the 31^st of October 2024, Powys was responsible for 17 under 18-year-olds and 13 over 18-year-olds.
- Individuals were placed both within and outside Wales. The strategy shifted from urban placements to in-county placements in Powys.
- Placing within Powys reduced travel time for social workers and aligned with the Welsh Government’s agenda to eliminate profit from care.
- Powys Children’s Services developed properties for looked-after children and care leavers, aiding their transition to independent living.
- External providers were engaged to develop placements within the county.
- The regional group across mid and West Wales coordinated responses to referrals for UASChildren.
- Training opportunities from the Home Office were shared to upskill the workforce.
- Collaboration with education colleagues ensured comprehensive education and integration programs, including language support.
- Challenges included resource constraints, legal complexities, and cultural barriers.

Issues Raised by the Committee:	Responses Received:
The committee requested information on the financial shortfall between the funds provided for UASChildren care and the actual costs incurred.	The data would be provided following the meeting. - ACTION
Were there channels to communicate financial shortfalls to the Home Office?	No, there was no flexibility in the arrangements. This had been challenged by Powys County Council and Pembrokeshire County Council who had written to the UK Government. Prior to that the Head of Children’s Services had been raising this issue at a national level with the All-Wales Heads of Children’s Services through the ADSS Cymru through to the WLGA into Welsh Government. There were no solutions to bridge the gap, so it became an immediate pressure for Children’s Services.
The committee requested to be notified when a response had been received from UK Government regarding this.	Yes, this was agreed. ACTION.
Section 4 gave a list of UASChildren in Powys. Were these the total number of UASChildren in Powys, or the number of children received in the previous 18 months?	This would be the total number of children in the authority as of the 31^st of October 2024, and there had been 3 further referrals since.