Official Report search · Parliament Workbench

Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 02 November 2011

02 Nov 2011 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Looked-after Children

Stewart, Kevin SNP Aberdeen Central Watch on SPTV

I refer members to my entry in the register of interests. The fact that I am a member of Aberdeen City Council will come up in my speech.

When I joined Aberdeen City Council, a social worker asked me how many children I had. When I said that I had four nieces but no children, that person said to me, “No, you have several hundred children of whom you are now the corporate parent.” I was a little shellshocked. I should say that I now have a nephew, too—he would never forgive me if I did not mention him.

We must all recognise our role as corporate parents. Recognising that completely changes our attitude to policy formulation and to what is best for the children of whom we are corporate parents.

I will touch on a couple of points that have been made about the financial aspects of being a corporate parent. Claire Baker and Liz Smith mentioned Dundee City Council’s overspend on children’s services. At the Local Government and Regeneration Committee today, we had the pleasure of hearing evidence on the budget from David Dorward, who is Dundee City Council’s chief executive. We talked about needs-led and demand-led social work. Mr Dorward said that he was not too troubled by the council’s overspend on children’s services—I am sure that he does not say that often—because it is needs led. The reality is that the members of his social work team, who are the professionals, have decided that the interventions that have been made are right at this time, and Mr Dorward and his finance officers have recognised that that team is right. I would not say that he was relaxed about the overspend, but he realises that it is because of needs-led requirements. That is how to deal with such matters.

Claudia Beamish said that the approach should be about putting children’s needs first and not about saving money. I say to everyone in the chamber that it can be both. Local authorities have often spent lots of money on putting children away from their areas. Aberdeen City Council did that in yesteryear, and some children were sent as far away as possible, which broke any ties they had left in their city of birth. That did neither children nor the public purse any good. I am glad that I played a part in trying to change that. It seemed far too easy for some to send children away. The approach was, “Let’s forget that problem and send them away.” We would not do that as parents, so why would we do it as corporate parents? Such attitudes still exist in some places and we must change them completely.

Another issue that used to perturb me is that we as corporate parents were happy for kids to be in residential homes that, if they were our houses, we would deem inadequate. Residential facilities need to be the best that they can be for the children of whom we are corporate parents. New-build residential homes have recently been constructed in Aberdeen. Across the country, we need to look again at what the stock provides.

During the recess, I had the great pleasure of visiting Barnardo’s in Aberdeen. I visited a number of its services. I talked to foster carers, who are some of the most dedicated people whom a person could come across, and visited its Linksfield residential home. I am mightily impressed by the work that is going on in that organisation in my home city, and ask the minister to say in her summing up what we will do to help to recruit and support more foster carers and adoptive parents. The best way of attracting folk to become foster carers is to get them to talk to other foster carers, because they are normally the most enthusiastic and passionate people, and they will tell others exactly what they can get out of fostering.

Another thing that has perturbed me over the years is the lack of joined-up thinking that there sometimes is between local authorities, courts, children’s panels and children’s reporters. In her summing up, will the minister say how she sees things gelling together a little bit better? There are opportunities in the planned children’s services bill. Will she say how she sees the bill helping us with what we are discussing?

I will never forget that I am a corporate parent. All of us must recognise what our duties are to the kids for whom we are responsible.

15:46

Search Hansard contributions

Meeting of the Parliament 02 November 2011

In the same item of business