Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors B Adams, C R Oxby, S M Tweedale and Mrs S Wray.

Apologies were also received from Mrs E Olivier-Townrow, Debbie Barnes and Keith Batty.

Councillor Mrs L Rollings advised that as she was and employer of post -16 education provision she would leave the meeting for consideration of agenda item 4 – Strategic Priorities for 16-18 (25) Education and Training for 2016/17.

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the meeting held on 24 July 2015 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(To receive a report which invites the Committee to consider a report on Strategic Priorities for 16-18 (25) Education and Training for 2016/17 which is due to be considered by the Executive on 6 October 2015)

Consideration was given to a report which invited the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee to consider a report on Strategic Priorities for 16 – 18 (25) Education and Training for 2016/17 which was due to be considered by the Executive on 6 October 2015.

The Committee was guided through the report, and it was reported that the picture for post 16 education was similar to that in previous years.  There continued to be some successes including attainment levels that were in line with those nationally, relatively low levels of NEET, high participation at age 16, as well as the success of the Supported Internship Programme in securing employment outcomes for young people with SEND.

Members were advised that there were challenges arising from a declining cohort, increasing competition, a reduction of funding in real terms and a funding mechanism that encouraged competition rather than collaboration which were significant and increasing.

It was also noted that there was a potential risk that changes to the way apprenticeships were funded would impact on the financial viability of some Apprenticeship providers and on the number of Apprenticeships offered.  Lincolnshire had a large proportion of small and medium enterprises (SME's), some of which were already reluctant to take apprentices due to the perceived additional bureaucracy.  Members were advised that the Government had sought to simplify this process as much as possible.  However, the relationship between provider and employer would change, which the provider securing public funding in direct proportion to the fee negotiated with the employer.  There were concerns that competition, particularly in relation to the popular frameworks, could result in reducing fees with an inevitable impact on quality. 

It was reported that student numbers in sixth forms had, overall, increased slightly.  However, the increase was not consistent across schools with 17 schools seeing a reduction, some of which were substantial, and in 7 schools there had been a continuing decline in numbers over the last 3 years.  As a result, there continued to be concerns in relation to some schools, particularly those with smaller sixth forms.

Members were advised that the Supported Internship Programme, particularly that delivered by the Council's own Promoting Employment Team (PET) had been particularly successful in terms of securing employment outcomes for those students with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  At the time of the meeting, 26 out of 36 internees had achieved paid employment, and it was expected that this number would rise before the end of the summer.

It was reported that Lincoln College had been awarded a license to develop 'Career Colleges' including an aerospace course with the RAF and BAE, and it was expected that learners would be recruited from September 2016.  There was also a suggestion to develop a construction course and a health and social care course.

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         In  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

(To receive a report which invites the Committee to consider a report on the findings of the Early Help Audit 2015)

Consideration was given to a report which invited the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee to consider a report on the findings of the Early Help Audit 2015.

The Committee received a presentation which provided further detail in relation to the following areas:

·         Audit Methodology

·         Overall message: Positive

·         What did families say

·         Outcomes for families

·         Practitioner and case file findings

·         What practitioners are saying

·         Next steps

Members of the Committee were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report, and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         Concerns were raised regarding paperwork not being available for some of the cases which were audited.  It was reported that a lot of the cases were randomly selected and were very old cases.  Many of the very good or excellent rated cases were newer, more recent cases, as a lot of work relating to case load had been carried out since the time of the older cases, which explained a lot of the results;

·         It was suggested that it may be beneficial to carry out a few samples in around six months' time;

·         It was found that there was a disconnect between what was being recorded and what families were experiencing, as what families were reporting was much better than what was being recorded.  Members were advised that further work on this would be carried out and would be reported back to the Safeguarding Boards Scrutiny Sub-Group;

·         Concerns were expressed regarding the reluctance of lead professionals to come forward when a TAC (Team Around the Child) was initiated, and it was queried whether this was due to a lack of capacity;

·         The cases for audit were randomly selected and the families were contacted to ask if they wanted to be involved.  Overall the outcome was very positive in terms of what the families got from the TAC process.  There were one or two cases with areas which needed further development;

·         In terms of capacity, there was now less money and fewer people, and there were an increased number of TAC's being opened.  The lead professional would usually be from the school, health authority or local authority;

·         The strategy was one of continuing to ensure that children's needs were met early, and officers were working on making the process as simple as possible.  The number of TAC's being opened was increasing year on year;

·         The support available through the Early Help Consultants would continue to be developed;

·         Members were advised that the number of active cases (1781) was at its highest ever level, and continued to grow year on year, and it was felt that this demonstrated a confidence in the system;

·         It was noted that officers would not want any professional to feel that they could not meet any additional needs which had been recognised;

·         Every baby was automatically registered with a Children's Centre, and so parents needed to opt out rather than opt in;

·         It was commented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

(To receive a report which enables the Committee to have an overview of the activities of the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Boards Scrutiny Sub-Group, in particular the Sub-Group's consideration of child safeguarding matters)

The Committee received a report which enabled members to have an overview of the activities of the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Boards Scrutiny Sub-Group, in particular the Sub-Group's consideration of child safeguarding matters.

It was reported that the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Boards Scrutiny Sub-Group last met on 15 July 2015 where Councillor S R Dodds was elected as the new Vice Chairman.

At the meeting, the Scrutiny Sub-Group received an update from the Independent Chair of the Lincolnshire safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), Chris Cook, on the outcomes from the Serious Case Review of the death of baby W and there was a good discussion on the issues around concealed and denied pregnancies.  The LSCB had set up a multi-agency task group to look at this issue and the report from the task group would be brought to a future meeting of the Sub-Group.

The Sub-Group received its regular update on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) where it was reported that work was being done on the number of referrals across the county and why some areas received more than others.  A report on the outcomes from this work would also be brought to a future Sub-Group meeting.

The Sub Group also received the Neglect Strategy which was considered by this Committee at the July meeting, and the Early Help Audit which was discussed earlier in the agenda.

It was also reported at the meeting that LSCB recently had its AGM and the strategic priorities were revised for the year.  The LSCB as a partnership had agreed the following priorities:

·         Early Help

·         Exploitation and abuse of children – in a wider context than just Child Sexual Exploitation

·         Online pressures and risk – which was previously E-Safety

·         Preventing/addressing the impact of substance misuse

·         Evidencing the Board's impact

The Scrutiny Sub-group would next meet on 7 October 2015 where it was due to receive the outcomes from any other Serious Case Reviews which had been completed (there were 3 other Serious Case Reviews currently being undertaken), and a further update on CSE and the LSCB Audit Programme.

RESOLVED

            That the update be noted.

(To receive a report which sets out some proposals for working more closely with the Lincolnshire Youth Cabinet.  This will allow Lincolnshire young people to raise issues and share opinions about matters that are of concern to them as well as give feedback on relevant and timely issues under decision by Lincolnshire County Council)

The Committee was advised that Lincolnshire Youth Cabinet was looking to develop some structured channels for the sharing of views with, and seeking support from, decision makers at Lincolnshire County Council, particularly the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee (CYPSC).  The report set out some proposals for working more closely with the Youth Cabinet.  This would allow Lincolnshire Young People to raise issues and share opinions about matters which were of concern to them as well as give feedback on relevant and timely issues under decision by Lincolnshire County Council.

Two members of the Lincolnshire Youth Cabinet were in attendance at the meeting, to ask and answer questions from the Committee.

Members of the Committee were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present and the members of the Youth Cabinet in attendance, in relation to the information contained within the report, and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It had been difficult for the Youth Cabinet to access all schools, and it was suggested that they could present to the head teachers briefing which took place three times a year;

·         It was suggested that the next time Strategic Priorities for 16-18 (25) year olds was on the agenda it would be useful to invite members of the Lincolnshire Youth Cabinet to attend so they could share their views;

·         Parish Councils were always looking for ways to engage better with young people;

·         Members were advised that there were always young people who were willing to get involved, and the Youth Cabinet tried to engage as widely as possible and as often as possible;

·         It was thought that a formal attendance by members of the Youth Cabinet would not be required at every formal meeting;

·         Some issues were more applicable to young people than others;

·         The Youth Cabinet representatives were reminded that they could contact any councillor if there was an issue that they wanted to discuss;

·         Councillors were also welcome to attend meetings of the Youth Cabinet;

·         In terms of 16-18 training, which was an important issue, it was suggested that some councillors could arrange to meet with representatives of the Youth Cabinet to discuss this;

·         It was suggested that one of two councillors volunteered to act as a direct liaison to work with the Youth Cabinet.  Councillor Mrs J Brockway and Mr C V Miller (Parent Governor Representative) volunteered  to do this;

·         There would be a need to identify agenda items as they came through the work programme process that could be of interest to the Youth Cabinet;

·         There was a need to ensure that anything that the Youth Cabinet should be consulted on, did happen;

·         It was suggested that the dates of the forthcoming Youth Cabinet meetings be passed to the Scrutiny Officer to ensure that someone was available to attend;

·         It was also noted that Councillor Mrs H N J Powell volunteered to act as a liaison to the Youth Cabinet as well;

·         Representatives of the Youth Cabinet were advised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

(To receive a report which provides key performance information for Quarter 1 2015/16 that is relevant to the work of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee)

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Committee with key performance information for Quarter 1 2015/16 that was relevant to the work of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee.

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report, and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         Vacancy rate of social workers – vacancies were generally covered by agency staff to help manage workloads within the team.  There were only one or two teams which did not have any agency staff within them;

·         There was a rolling programme of recruitment for social workers.  The authority was working on the recruitment of more experienced staff.  It was noted that this was a problem nationally as well; 

·         There were plenty of new social workers graduating from university, and the authority was seeking those with Lincolnshire connections, as those without local connections tended to stay for a few years, gain experience and then move on to a bigger city;

·         The Scrutiny Review report on Frontline Social Workers and safeguarding made some very specific recommendations regarding recruitment and retention, and members were advised that most of the recommendations were now ongoing pieces of work.  It was noted that there was an update on the action plan scheduled to come to the meeting of the Committee in November 2015;

·         It was requested whether clarification regarding what the meaning of the symbols used in the performance reports could be included in future reports.  Officers agreed to include this next time;

·         It was queried whether members could receive information on how complaints were resolved;

·         It was noted that the authority did not have any power to investigate complaints within schools, and it was the responsibility of governors to manage the complaints, unless it was a complaint against the head teacher of a maintained school;

·         It was noted that the information in the customer satisfaction report only reported the complaints that the authority was made aware of.  There may be some that were only reported to schools, and this information would not be fed back to the authority;

·         Percentage of Teenage Mothers in EET – it was noted that this target had been reached and the performance was being sustained.  Officers would be looking at whether this target could be stretched;

·         It was commented that it was positive that all nurseries in the county had been judged as outstanding or good by Ofsted;

·         Percentage of 0<5 year olds registered having at least one attendance within last 3 months (Children's Centres) -  it was noted that the percentage of targeted families attending was very high;

·         In relation to teenage pregnancies, it was noted that this indicator was owned by Public Health, and reported to the Community and Public Safety Scrutiny Committee;

·         The targets were reviewed each year;

RESOLVED

            That the performance information presented be noted.

(To receive a report which enables the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee to consider its own work programme for the coming year)

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee to consider its own work programme for the coming year.

Members were advised that there was to be a report on Troubled Families on the October agenda.  Members had previously asked whether it was possible to have some families who had been 'turned around' attend.  However, after checking with officers, it was felt that attending a public meeting with so many people might be too daunting for them.  Instead officers had identified a couple of families who were willing to meet with some members who would then feed back to the October meeting about these meetings.  One family was based in Grantham and could meet on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.  The other family was based in Bourne and could also do Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.  Volunteers were sought to meet with the families in Grantham and Bourne.  Councillors Mrs H N J Powell, S R Dodds, L Wootten and R Wootten volunteered to meet with the families.

It was also reported that following the last meeting where the Committee considered a report on progress 8, officers would like to arrange a workshop for the Committee on Progress 8 so that members could gain a better understanding of this.  It was planned to hold the workshop on the afternoon of 27 November 2015 after the Committee meeting.

Members were also advised, that due to the unavailability of key officers, the Chairman had requested that the October meeting be moved from Friday, 16 October to Monday, 19 October 2015.

RESOLVED

1.    That the content of the work programme as set out in Appendix A of the report be noted;

2.    That the content of the Children's Services Forward Plan as set out in Appendix B of the report be noted;

3.    That officers arrange for Councillors Mrs H N J Powell, S R Dodds, L Wootten and R Wootten to meet with the 'turned around' families';

4.    That a workshop to look in more detail at Progress 8 be arranged for the afternoon of Friday, 27 November 2015;

5.    That the meeting scheduled for Friday, 16 October 2015 be moved to Monday, 19 October 2015.