Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr C Adams and Cllr A-M Moriarty

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

Cllr D Farr substituted for Cllr C Adams

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

Any other members of the Board may declare an interest for the purpose of transparency.

There were none on this occasion.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 29 September 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 September were approved as a correct record.

Item led by Young People and the Participation Team for everyone at the Board meeting to participate in and find out more about Language that Cares for Children in Care and Care Experienced Young People.

The Participation Manager introduced this item and explained that Language that Cares had been launched recently and was being promoted across the Council.

Everyone in the meeting was asked to discuss 2 different documents in pairs, Example A and Example B.

Participants were asked to feedback on any thoughts about the different documents both positive and negative. It was noted that Example B felt more personal using real examples. Example A appeared to be more generic. However, it was noted that Example B did use acronyms and it didn’t necessarily give an accurate picture of the situation.

The pairs were then asked to identify language which may not be appropriate and the pairs shared a number of ideas on how things could be improved. It was suggested that things should reflect individual style and be personalised for all children. The Board reflected on the difficulty of using alternative language.

The Board considered potential new names for the Corporate Parenting Board, “virtual” was suggested as an option. It was noted that “corporate” made it feel like a business situation and the focus wasn’t on young people’s lives but on the “pay cheque”. The Board asked the CiC and CEYP Councils to take this forward to find out the views of children in care and are experienced young people.

The Board considered the best ways of ensuring language was relevant and suggested annual training for those working directly with young people and refresher training for Councillors.

The Board asked what could be done to measure the effectiveness of changes made to language and that it would be good to hear how this makes a difference.

RESOVLED that an item be added to the Baord’s Forward Plan for 12 months’ time to see if any changes or improvements made and cultural change have had an impact.

The council is strengthening its approach to corporate parenting and beginning with three main pledges which were chosen by the Corporate Parenting Board at its last meeting;

1.      Work Experience: Expanding placements for care-experienced young people across all council departments.

2.      Discounts & Offers: Providing access to leisure, retail discounts, and wellbeing support, matching staff benefits.

3.      Digital Inclusion: Recycling council laptops and phones, and seeking community support for device donations.

The report updates on progress made since the last meeting.

The Director of Communities as lead for the delivery of Corporate Parenting Pledges presented a report, a copy of which appears as Appendix ‘A’ to these minutes in the Minute Book. The Board were informed of the background information to the Pledges and how progress had been made with them. The Director of People and Culture updated the Board on the work they were doing:

• Work Experience: Plans were being made so that care-experienced young people could get placements across the Council. Training for staff is being developed. Through this it was hoped that mentoring opportunities would go on to be developed
• Discounts and Offers: A new benefits platform was being extended to young people. It includes discounts for supermarkets, cinemas, tech, and more. The launch of this was expected in January.
• Digital Inclusion: Work is starting on recycling laptops and phones for young people including reaching out to supplies as part of a social contract.
• Extra Support: Looking at extending the Employee Assistance Programme including free counselling and advice to care-experienced young people.
• Corporate Parenting Champions Board: This was due to be set up with representatives from every Council department and at least one young person.

The Board welcomed the work that had taken place on this issue

Action Points:

? Develop work experience programme and share opportunities.
? Explore extending counselling offer to young people.
? Set up a Corporate Parenting Champions Board with reps from every Council department and at least one young person.
? Consider mentoring opportunities alongside work experience.

The meeting adjourned at 6:21pm and resumed at 6:28pm.

This report serves to provide a detailed overview of the activities and impact of the BCP Virtual School during the academic year 2024-25. The Virtual School operates on behalf of the Local Authority (LA), collaborating with partners to advocate for Children in Our Care (CiOC) in education and ensuring positive and aspirational educational outcomes.

The report outlines the future priorities and development plans for the BCP Virtual School, aiming to improve outcomes and support for a positive transition to adulthood for all Care Experienced young people.

The report is based on the LA held pupil information and results from schools. At the time of publishing, there is no comparative national data available for the academic year 2024-25. Comparative data will be available upon its publication in April 2026. By conducting comparative analysis throughout the year, we aim to identify areas where the Virtual School has significant impact and areas where improvement is needed in relation to national benchmarks. This information will guide our efforts in providing the best possible support for children in care, aligning with broader educational standards.

The Head of the Virtual School presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The Board was advised that the report advised on the successes of the Children in Our Care and Care Leavers, the work undertaken by the Virtual School and the priorities for the next academic year. The report provided a detailed overview of the activities and impact of the BCP Virtual School during the academic year 2024-25. The Virtual School operates on behalf of the Local Authority (LA), collaborating with partners to advocate for Children in Our Care (CiOC) in education and ensuring positive and aspirational educational outcomes. The report outlined the future priorities and development plans for the BCP Virtual School, aiming to improve outcomes and support for a positive transition to adulthood for all Care Experienced young people.

Some of the key points from the report shared with the Board were:

• Attendance: 89.6% overall, 91% for those in care over 12 months – above national average.
• GCSEs: 90% of Year 11s sat exams (up from 86%). More young people achieved Grade 4 in English and Maths than previously.
• Post-16: 95% moved into education, employment, or training; with 98% staying there.
• University: 22 young people are studying at university, moving closer to the 7% target.
• Activities: Sailing, residential trips, sports leadership, and university visits had been undertaken.
• Bright Spots Survey: This indicated that young people want trusted adults, chances to belong, and clear processes in education.
• Personal Education Plans: Ensure young people do no miss out on lesson time with meeting schedules and designated teacher availability.
• Out of Area Placements: Concerns were raised regarding the level of support for those placed out of area.

Action Points:
Action Points:
? Keep improving attendance and reduce exclusions.
? Explore more apprenticeships and guaranteed interviews for care-experienced young people. Widen the offer for more creative/vocational pathways. These were difficult to access and more support was needed
? Consider a survey next year to measure progress on virtual school support.

? Make the virtual School more visible and ensure young people know why it is there. Work with Insight and Unite to support this.

The Board felt that there were real positives and progress in the report and the experience on the ground has been positive.

The annual report provides an overview of the provision of health services for Children in Care and Care Experienced young people for 2024/25.

The Designated Nurse for Looked After Children presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The report outlined how NHS Dorset helped children in care and young people who have been in care. It looks at how their health needs were met between April 2024 and March 2025. It also shares facts about how many children are in care, what help they got, and what still needs to be done to make things better. Some of the key points from the report were shared with the Board including:

• Dental Care: This was a big success – 95% now have a dentist.
• Mental Health: A new system was coming so young people can self-refer. Work is ongoing to extend support beyond age 18.
• Care Leaver Health: The Care Leaver Transition Nurse provided support to young people, but demand is high due to the demographic increase in the number of care leavers. GP practices were also being trained to help.
• Challenge: Health records sometimes don’t transfer correctly when young people move far away. Nurses are working to fix this.

Action Points:
? Share clear info with young people about how to access health support (including GP schemes).
? Look at extra support for the care leaver transition nursing role due to high demand high.
? Invite Dorset Healthcare to a future meeting to explain services.
? Provide a one-page summary on health assessment challenges and how they’re being fixed as the completion of these had reduced.

To consider and amend the Board’s Forward Plan as appropriate.

The Chair advised the Board that due to timing this wouldn’t be discussed but that members and officers should send in any suggested amendments or additions.

This report was circulated with the agenda for information only and there being no questions or comments received prior to the meeting the report was noted.

Note: It was requested that future iterations of the report should take into consideration “Language that cares”.

The Board is asked to note the future dates arranged for meetings of the Board as follows:

·       Monday 16 March 2026 – 5.00pm - 7.00pm

·       Monday 22 June 2026 – 5.00pm - 7.00pm

·       Monday 28 September 2026 – 5.00pm – 7.00pm

·       Monday 14 December 2026 – 5.00pm – 7.00pm

The next meeting date was noted as 16 March 2026.