Agenda and minutes

None.

Councillors Catherine Dann, Judith Cooper, John Hensley, Anita MacDonald and Peter Curling all declared personal and non-prejudicial interests in all items of the agenda due to their roles as school governors.

All items were considered in public.

The minutes were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman welcomed external witnesses Jane Graver (Head of Care, Respite Unit) and Paula Reid (Manager, Asylum Team LBH).

Witnesses began their presentations to Committee by informing the Committee that the Asylum Team supported unaccompanied minors who ranged from under 16 year olds to 24 year olds. Many of these children were assessed as being victims of child trafficking and some pleaded asylum. The awareness around child trafficking had risen to a higher level and as a result the London Borough of Hillingdon was very proactive in their response to this activity. The level of understanding around child trafficking and the level of support available had developed significantly in the last few years. For example, it had been noted that profiles and patterns between trafficked children varied according to the differing ethnicities of the children.

Immigration was the first point of contact with the trafficked child. The Asylum Team worked very closely with Immigration at the Heathrow Port of Entry due to the need to provide intense support to the children in the first few days after arrival. The level of support available out-of-hours had also increased due to a larger capacity of staff available to respond to children arriving at Heathrow Airport.

Witnesses continued to explain the surroundings trafficked children were kept in. Staff at respite units worked very closely with the child to ensure that they were as comfortable as possible. Staff understood that the child would be frightened of their new surroundings and therefore treated the child with respect and care. The child was made to feel safe, but most children appeared withdrawn and traumatised at first.

Children were monitored at all times and accompanied in and around the centre. The profiling of the children allowed trends to be established, which led to fake stories being picked up early on. Children were usually told what to say by their traffickers and therefore it was difficult for staff to unveil the truth about their origin and purpose of their visit.

The Chairman thanked the Committee and opened the floor to questions. Members asked witnesses whether more children of a certain gender were trafficked. Witnesses said the children were mixed but a large proportion of the trafficked children were female. Witnesses said that some of these females would come into the respite unit pregnant or would become pregnant while in care.

Members asked witnesses whether the children wanted to be reunited with their families. Witnesses said that most children were afraid of returning home due to unpaid fees to traffickers. Children had been bought here on a promise of a better life and therefore did not want to return home. However, some children undergo ‘voluntary removal’ and are returned home accompanied by a social worker to ensure a safe reception at home.

Members asked witnesses how staff tackled children trying to escape respite units. Witnesses said that due to a combination of increased education around child trafficking and excellent communication between immigration, the police and the asylum team  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The Committee were directed to the Cabinet Report on Schools Budget to be considered at the 18 February Cabinet meeting. The Committee agreed to send any comments for Cabinet to Natasha Dogra to relay on to Cabinet.

1.                     The Committee agreed the Forward Plan

The Committee asked that the following information be supplied to Members:

1. School Entry (P 31) - Committee members requested a written report providing more information on the implications of having to find additional school entry places (cost and planning implications/ longer term impact on secondary schools). This would be an extra Agenda item at the 27th April POC Meeting Agenda.

2. SEN Out of Borough Placements ( P 23) - The Committee requested a written response from the Directorate clarifying why Option 1 has been turned down by the Schools Forum  

3. Procurement Officer (P 49) - The Directorate was asked to explain why schools would not want the benefit of a Procurement Officer.

4. The Committee requested an update on the progress of Children's Centres - are they on track / are they delivering? This item was added to the 27th April POC Meeting Agenda.   

The Committee agreed the Work Programme.