Background Children’s Social Care
provides vital services to some of the most disadvantaged young
people in the community. We seek to improve young people’s life
chances and ensure that vulnerable young people are protected.
Peterborough’s Children’s Social Care not
only provides the important services listed below, it also works
hard with other organisations (such as the health service and
the private and voluntary sectors) to ensure that a range of
support is available to children and families to enhance their
quality of life and improve their opportunities.
Children’s Social Care is a part of the wider
Children's Services. This ensures closer working
relationships with Education staff, which benefits the lives
of young people to whom Children’s Social Care provides a service.
Nearly every school-aged looked after child
in foster or residential care has access to a computer where
they are living and a project to provide play boxes to the 0
- 5 year olds was launched in June 2004.
The service had a successful fostering service
inspection in Jan 2004. A recruitment campaign during the year
attracted a range of additional carers to meet the needs of
children looked after.
We respond to an average of 240 new referrals
each month and our children in need teams and prevention services
are working, on average, with over 700 children and their families
during any one month.
At any one time we look after over 330 children
and young people and on average, we have 140 children on the
Child Protection Register. We found adoptive families for 18
children and young people last year, which was 6.4% of those
who had been looked after for 6 months or more at that point.
Our secure unit is a national resource that
provides 16 places for some of the most troubled and vulnerable
children and young women in the country.
Peterborough also has three residential units
for children looked after by the authority and a respite unit
for children with disabilities. In April 2004 a new, purpose built
residential/respite unit for children with profound learning difficulties
was opened on the same site as a new special school. In addition, last
year we provided short breaks for the parents of around 45 children with disabilities.
The Direct Work Team at Orchard Street works
with school age children and their families so that they can
live together with fewer difficulties. The team offers individual,
family and groupwork sessions as appropriate.
The Leaving Care Team works with around
120 young people up to the age of 24, who are beginning to move
towards independence, upon leaving care. The team provides social
work support, practical help in relation to life skills and
obtaining employment or further training and also has a number
of supportive lodgings carers available.
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