Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.

DEAR Sophie Ellis

Freedom of information request - FOI/7110

Subject: Statistics in relation to former relevant children and personal
advisers

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

Dear Sophie Ellis

Request FOI/7110

Freedom of Information Request

Your request has been considered under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding
to you. Specifically, you have requested the following information:

1.  How many former relevant children did the Council have duties towards
in 2018, 2020 and 2022 respectively under:

(a)  Section 23C Children Act 1989;

(b)  Section 23CZB Children Act 1989; and

(c)  Section 23CA Children Act 1989.

2.   How many personal advisors working with former relevant children were
employed by the Council on a full-time basis in 2018, 2020 and 2022
respectively?

(a)  of those personal advisers, how many former relevant children on
average did each one have responsibility for in each of the stated years?

3.  How many personal advisors working with former relevant children were
employed by the Council on a part-time basis in 2018, 2020 and 2022
respectively?

(a)  of those personal advisers, how many former relevant children on
average did each one have responsibility for in each of the stated years?

4.  How many copies of the local offer to care leavers were given out to
former relevant children in 2018, 2020 and 2022 respectively?

(a)  In what format were they given (e.g. paper copy, emailed pdf, web
link)?

5.  When was the last review or evaluation of the local offer?  Please
supply a copy of such review/evaluation.

Overall care leavers figures are available from the published data, please
see the link below. Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
therefore applies, ‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by
other means’. This acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute
exemption and therefore does not require the public interests balancing
test to be applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations. 

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...

In regard to the local offer, we will not have that information collated
in terms of distribution, therefore, we are unable to answer that
question.

The offer is available on-line, please see the link to our website below.
We are currently reviewing the Nov 2020 version.

[2]https://www.croydon.gov.uk/children-youn...

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[3]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act you may ask for an internal review. 
This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of this response. 
You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by:

Email:        [Croydon Borough Council request email]

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon

Bernard Weatherill House

7^th Floor - Zone B

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire   SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely 

Croydon Council

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
2. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/children-youn...
3. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/