Agenda item

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submits a report providing an update following a two-day Ofsted Focused visit to the council’s children’s services Leaving Care Team held on 17 and 18 March 2026. 

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submitted a report providing an update following a two-day Ofsted Focused visit to the council’s children’s services Leaving Care Team held on 17 and 18 March 2026.

The Head of Service Performance and Placement presented the item referring to the slides attached with the agenda.  Other key points included:

• The visit took place over two days in March 2026.
• The slides provided a summary in terms of context. 
• There were 328 care leavers aged 18-21.
• Care leavers had Leaving Care Advisors (LCAs) as outlined on the slides.  There were two teams who supported care leavers.
• It was important that Ofsted were asked to look at the leaving care process.  They had found the quality of relationships between the staff and care leavers to be good, and care leavers had said that this was very important to them.
• The workforce had lots of staff who were experienced in leaving care.
• There was noted improvement in terms of the local offer, and there was a dedicated offer for care leavers on the website.
• There had been particular focus on support for a small number of care leavers (around 20) who were in the Youth Justice System.  These people were often vulnerable due to lived experience.  They were also often dispersed around the country, which produced challenges.
• Support was provided to care leavers when they started a new job or moved into their first home.
• Areas for improvement included:
• Quality of recording of interactions.
• The language needed to be more ambitious.
• There needed to be evidence in terms of management oversight.
• Teams had been brought together, and there was an upcoming event for social workers.
• Work had been done around Audit activity.
• Staff had been talked to regarding what ‘good’ looked like.
• There had been a focus on people aged over 21 as for some there was a requirement for more assurance that they would get the level of support needed.
• With adults aged 21-25 staying in touch could be a challenge, as they were adults with free choice.
• Auditing on care leavers aged over 21 found no cases where practice was inadequate.  All areas were good or had recommendations to become good.
• Standards had been set regarding young people in prison.  These people were still visited and provided with extra support.  There were often challenges upon release surrounding suitable accommodation.
• In the last six months, a further five Care Advisor posts had been funded.  Additionally there was a new Head of Service post and recruiting was under way for a Dedicated Service Manager, who’s responsibilities would include young people form abroad seeking safety.
• There had been additional capacity and training and audit activity.  There had been a recommendation for a strategic plan to commit to sign up to the corporate plan and work was underway on this.  It would involve key partners such as the NHS and Integrated Care Board (ICB).  Once the strategy was agreed it could be brought to scrutiny.
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In response to YPC member discussion, the following was noted:

• In terms of ensuring that care leavers felt supported after the age of 18, there was an automatic allocation of a named person as a one-to-one advisor for care leavers aged 18-21.  It was aimed to ensure that this person did not change so as to ensure continuity.  The keeping-in-touch figures were good in this area.  It could become more challenging after people turned 21 as some did not define themselves as care leavers, circumstances could be different.  Everyone who was care-experienced was written to and QR codes were included so that they could quickly find information and support if they needed.  As part of the duty system, there was a dedicated phone line where support could be requested.  It was added that it was about keeping the door open for them and them knowing it remained open. 
• It was further added that as corporate parents, care leavers often raised issues such as financial issues, housing issues and health (including mental health issues).  It was aimed to reduce the times where young people remained isolated.
• Responding to a question over whether there was enough housing, it was stated that there was a wider issue of social housing.  There was an allocation of social housing for care leavers, but the number of care leavers was increasing, so there were not enough tenancies and some became trapped in supported accommodation.

In response to member discussion, the following was noted:

• There could be issues of childhood trauma amongst care leavers and it was now being understood that there was delay impact and what this meant for young people and adults.  They were more likely to have poor mental health, more likely to be in prison, and more likely to be homeless.  Therefore they were reached out to so that they knew they had a safety net.
• Many care leavers started families and became concerned and then requiring additional support, such as family help or coming back into the care system. Work was being done on this in terms of providing advice and support to young parents to try and break that cycle effectively.
• It was necessary to be proactive and where there was a possibility of risky behaviour, to support young people to make the right choices.
• Family hubs were important as they helped the Council to stay in touch with vulnerable young people within the community.
• In terms of a strategy, there was a challenge in terms of young people who are not in education, employment and training (NEET).
• When young people became looked after, their progress could be tracked, but it was necessary to be ambitious.
• Regarding young people from abroad, there was an emphasis on peer support, for example in terms of English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes.  Once groups got going there could be additional learning opportunities for accessing services and life in the UK.  Young people often carried on meeting and friendships grew.  Progress could be tracked through education and employment more than groups who were not from abroad.
• Efforts were put into respecting individual culture and it was necessary to be keen to have materials that were accessible, perhaps in the language of the relevant young person.  Leicester was a city of sanctuary, so Leicester had been seen as a positive choice for young people from abroad who were care experienced.  It was necessary to ensure that there was support on an individual level, but also make sure that young people did not feel isolated and could follow their goals.  There was dedicated support for young people from abroad, and Ofsted were very positive about this.
• The approach on this was very deliberate as these people were the responsibility of the Council.  It was very important to acknowledge that there were more that were the responsibility of other Local Authorities, but they had chosen to be allocated to Leicester as it seemed more appropriate.  Sometimes these young people were poorly supported, but were not in the purview of Leicester as an authority.  Other Local Authorities had sent young people from abroad to Leicester.
• It was requested that information be provided on the involvement of the voluntary sector be brought to the Commission.
• It was further requested that case studies from Care Leavers (including YP from abroad Seeking Safety) about how they have stared life in Leicester be brought to the Commission.
• In terms of specialised services other than those of health, housing and finance, it was clarified that advice would be provided on any issue brought to the service.  If the issue was more complex, it could be allocated to a dedicated worker. 
• The service were keen to look at the wider issue of healthy lifestyles, and peer support programmes were run.  The voluntary sector was involved in the local offer and there was an opportunity through Family Hubs for a local care leaver offer.
• The challenge around health and mental health was that it was not in the purview of the Council to solve.  A wider issue was a lack of adult mental health services.
• A breakdown of demographic data was requested.

AGREED:

1)    That the report be noted.

2)    That the Leaving Care Strategy Report  nclude information on Young People from Abroad Seeking Safety, and engagement with VCS Sector as well as a case study from Care Leavers (including YP from abroad Seeking Safety) about how they have stared life in Leicester.

3)    That the Leaving Care Strategy include a breakdown of demographic data.

4)    That comments made by members of this commission to be taken into account.