Equality impact assessment - looked after children

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1. What is the name of the policy or service that is being assessed?

Services to Looked after children and young people.

2. What are the aims of the policy or service? Whose needs is it designed to meet? What are the current priorities?

The aims of the policy are to ensure that every young person in care is given the best opportunities to develop their full potential in terms of the Every Child Matters Five Key Outcomes.

It is designed to meet the needs of LACYP and their families.

Current priorities are concerned with commissioning sufficient placement choice within the county which will meet the assessed needs of LACYP and which represents value for money.

3. In what ways might this policy or service affect some groups of people differently? Might some groups find it harder to access the service? Do some groups have particular needs that are not well met by the current policy or service?

The policy may affect black and minority ethnic groups, and disabled children and their families differently in the following ways -

Matching young people with carers who reflect their racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds

There is a growing number of young people in the care system in Wiltshire from black and minority ethnic groups and they are now overrepresented in the care system compared with their incidence in the general population.At the same time the percentage of in-house carers from black and minority ethnic groups remains as low or lower than the incidence in the general population. This is partly explained by the increase in numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking young people.

While the policy states that race, culture and ethnicity should be considered when placing young people, implementing the policy is challenging because of the low numbers in the general population locally.

It is also policy to place a young person near home and within the county boundary wherever that is in the young person’s best interests.There can be a tension between keeping a young person within county and making a match that reflects their racial and cultural background.

Disabled children and their families

Again while the policy is inclusive, implementing the policy equitably is not straight forward.The number of disabled children and young people in independent residential special schools appears to represent a comparatively high proportion of disabled young people in care.They are therefore more likely to be based outside the county boundary where low incidence specialist services are required.Disabled children are often more vulnerable in terms of abuse and in having their wishes and feelings taken into account than other young people, particularly where there are communication difficulties and where they require intimate care, for example.

4. What evidence do you have for your judgement? Is there evidence of public concern (e.g. complaints)?Have staff raised concerns? Is there local or national research to suggest that there could be a problem?

There is a considerable body of research in relation to black and minority ethnic groups in care and in relation to disabled children in care.There have been issues raised at times regarding Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers – for example, being able to stay in fostering placement post 16 years.Staff have raised issues in relation to two fostering placements where it was felt that there was insufficient understanding of the needs of a black young person.

5. Who have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?

We have not undertaken a consultation in respect of these issues. However, we are informed through national research findings and through taking account of representations from children and young people in care through the Children’s Rights Service (Voice).

6. If you have found that the policy or service might have an adverse impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?

It is not that the policy should in itself would have an adverse effect, it is the difficulty in implementing it successfully for all young people and their families even though there are rigorous and ongoing attempts to achieve best practice outcomes.

7. If the impact cannot be justified, what do you intend to do about this?Are there changes that you could introduce which would make the policy or service work better for this group of people?Is further research or consultation required?

We have already put measures in place including targeting black and minority ethnic groups when recruiting foster carers and adopters.We provide training for all carers in terms of caring for children with diverse needs.We also need to refine management information in terms of the equality of race as well as quantitative data.

8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the policy or service in future?

Explore use of Viewpoint, take account of feedback from LAC and use foster carer reviews to monitor the impact of the service on disadvantaged groups.

9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications

Care Matters requires that each local authority makes a pledge to young people in care. We will ensure that the pledge is inclusive of needs of minority groups and that resource issues are identified and addressed.

Care Matters also requires the establishment of Children in Care Council which may provide enhanced opportunities to obtain direct feedback from young people.

10. If no actions have been identified in section 9 above, please state when a further review of this assessment is planned

Impact assessment will be reviewed during 2008/09

11. Name of person completing form

Head of Looked After Children and Placements

Date assessment completed

3 December 2007

12. Senior manager approval

Assistant Director Children and Families

Date assessment approved by senior manager

6 December 2007

Last updated: 13 May 2009