Agenda item

(To receive a report from Mark Rainey, Children's Commissioning Manager, which invites the Committee to consider the DfE Innovation Joint Funding Bid with Compass which is due to be considered by the Executive Councillor Responsible for Children's Services)

Consideration was given to a report which invited the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee to comment on the DfE Innovation Joint Funding Bid with Compass prior to it being considered by the Executive Councillor Responsible for Children's Services.

Members were advised that the report sought to make recommendations regarding an Expression of Interest submitted to the DfE innovation fund by LCC Children's Services in partnership with Compass Outreach Service.  The proposal was to adopt an integrated Services Model between social care, health and public health to deliver immediate and effective responses to address significant attachment and trauma needs of children, young people and their families/carers.

It was reported that if the bid was successful, it would bring £500,000 of additional funding into Lincolnshire to develop and implement the model and also provide additional support from Compass Outreach Service to embed the necessary infrastructure and 'culture shift' required to deliver the service effectively.

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:

·         One of the biggest issues facing Looked After Children, was that placements sometimes broke down.  Members were pleased that this service would focus on problems caused by attachment issues.

·         It was queried how many children this service would be expecting to work with per annum.  Members were advised that these details had not yet been finalised, but had identified a percentage of children that it was expected this service would have a positive impact on.  This level of detail would be finalised in the next round of bidding.

·         It was also queried what additionality this would bring to the services already being provided by staff.  It was noted that this would be an emotional wellbeing service in principle.  The bid was for additional funding that the authority otherwise would not have, and would provide an opportunity to work with some of the children who were currently in need of this type of support. 

·         The planned emotional wellbeing service would initially be a preventative service but this service would focus on young people with very challenging behaviours.

·         It was queried what this service would look like, and whether a specialist would need to be employed to work with groups of individuals.  It was commented that these young people did very well when they received one to one support. 

·         Members were advised that Compass Outreach Service was based in Norfolk.  It would have a more therapeutic approach.  It was noted that this bid was in conjunction with Norfolk and Suffolk as they were also Signs of Safety authorities.

·         There was an increased number of late entrances to care, and the authority was working hard to support this group and effectively manage risk.  The authority needed to review what it was doing to meet the needs of this cohort.

·         This would be a very targeted service, for those in care or on the cusp of entering care, and it was about doing something different, to see if working with these young people therapeutically would have a different impact.

·         This service would target the 14-19 age group.  Those who were 17/18 were able to go into supported accommodation, but those under 16 had to go into foster care although placement decisions were based on assessed need.

·         A bid had also been submitted to the Executive requesting an opportunity to examine the authority having its own supported accommodation for the really challenging groups with its own wraparound therapeutic service as well.

·         Concerns were raised as to who would receive and use the funding if the bid was successful. The Committee agreed that the funding could be used by partners. It was confirmed that the £500,000 would come into the Council directly and the Department for Education would commission and fund Compass to provide evaluation.

·         Members were advised that it was not the intention of this funding to carry out work into why there was an increase in the number of late entrances to care.  However, this may be something that would be looked into at a later date either locally or nationally.

·         It was noted that if the bid was successful and the service worked, it would be less expensive to operate than what was currently in place.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee support the recommendations to the Executive Councillor responsible for Children's Services as set out in the report.

2.    That the comments made be passed to the Executive Councillor responsible for Children's Services in relation to this item.