Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2011 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            In accordance with Standing Order 34(9) the following public question had been submitted.

“In order to reduce the number of educational tribunals, when are the local authority going to listen to those people who know their own child best, the parents?”

            In response the following answer was provided by Mr Steven Nyakatawa, Operational Director Learning and Achievement:

            “Parents and pupil’s views are always taken into consideration when provision and placement is considered.  In addition the Local Authority is required to take into consideration appropriate use of resources.  Parents are consulted at all stages and extensive mediation is put in place, in order to achieve good outcomes for children and young people, within the Borough.

            We acknowledge that parents have the right to Appeal to SENDIST, however the Local Authority has a duty to respond to that Appeal through the Tribunal process, in order to ensure best outcomes for children and young people, as well as efficient use of Local Authority resources.”

            In reply a supplementary question was asked however, due to disclosure of individual cases and the Data Protection Act, the Officer indicated a response could not be provided during the meeting.

            Arising from the question the Board discussed education of children with special needs within mainstream school utilising enhanced provision, in addition to the Independent Review.  Members were advised that results from the Review would be brought to a future meeting for consideration.

            RESOLVED: That the public question be noted.

            The Board received a report which contained the Minutes relating to the Children, Young People and Families Portfolio which had been considered by Executive Board since the last meeting of the PPB.

            RESOLVED: That the Minutes be noted.

            The Minutes of Halton Children’s Trust meeting held on 6 September 2011 were submitted to the Board for consideration.

            In relation to 3.7 Members requested an update on progress of the assessment of numbers of Children in Care from other Local Authorities (CiCOLA).  In response it was noted that this assessment had taken longer than expected, however results were hoped to be collated by the end of December 2011.

            RESOLVED: That the minutes be noted.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise which provided an update on Halton’s 2011 school performance data for Early Years Foundation Stage Profile and Key Stages 1 to 4.

            It was reported that the results were yet to be validated and could change slightly over the next few weeks.

            The main headlines for Halton were set out in the report for consideration.

            In particular the following points were noted:

·        for Early Years Foundation Stage the Profile Total Score was down 3% from 2010 but was higher than in 2008;

·        for Key Stage 1, English and Maths at Level 4+ was above the national average;

·        Children in Care in Key Stage 1 attainment was in line with national expectation with level 2 achieved in reading, writing, speaking, listening and maths;

·        for Key Stage 2 Halton had exceeded national outcomes in Key Stage 2 tests with 77% attaining national expectation in English and Maths at age 11;

·        for Children in Care in Key Stage 2 it was noted that there were only 6 children in the cohort and results exceeded the prediction of 50% achieving Level 4+ in English and Maths;

·        In relation to Key Stage 4, 56% of Halton’s children achieved 5+ A*-C GSCEs including English and Maths;

·        The English Baccalaureate was at 6% and was broadly in line with 2010 performance;

·        performance has significantly improved in comparison to last year for Children in Care at Key Stage 4 with 44% of Children in Care achieving 5+A*-C GCSEs.

Members discussed funding cuts and the need to maintain provision of training, resources and outreach staff for children with special educational needs. 

The Board also considered what provisions were available for gifted and talented children and facilities offered to families to help understand the learning processes that could be carried out at home.

            RESOLVED: That the attainment of children in Halton schools for the 2010/11 academic year be noted.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise which detailed the conduct of outcomes from Climbie Visits to front line Child in Need Teams and set out the review of outcomes from the recommendations reported to the PPB in February 2011.

            The report set out the purpose of Climbie Visits, detailed progress made from the recommendations set in February 2011 and a summary of issues and positive developments that had been identified as a result of visits and the responses.

            It was reported that all the recommendations suggested in February had been implemented. Members were advised a rota would be developed for next year and would be circulated by December 2011.

            The Board was advised that refresher training could be provided which would combine developments from the Munro report and how recommendations could be implemented.   Members were also advised that an update report would be brought back to the Board in six months.

            Members agreed they would welcome further training incorporating points raised from the Munro report.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     refresher training is provided towards the end of the year to update Members and review processes;

2)     a rota be developed for next year and circulated by December 2011; and

3)     an update report be brought back to the Board in six months,

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise which provided an update on the agreed basic needs capital projects for 2011/2012.

            It was reported that in December 2010 the Department for Education announced the schools capital grant allocations for 2011/12 which included an allocation of £1,689,618 for Basic Need.  This funding would be used to deliver capital projects to resolve issues experienced by schools, arising from the growing population.

            It was further reported that at the Executive Board meeting on 14 July 2011 approval was given for the development of capital projects to address basic need at Windmill Hill Primary School, Weston Primary School, Lunts Heath Primary School and St Bede’s Primary School.  Following the Executive Board it was noted that meetings had been held with the schools and the position was summarised in the report for information.

            The Board discussed the use of space and the importance of retaining the current play space.  In response it was noted that in relation to St Bedes it was reported that the use of dead space and alcoves would be taken into consideration during the project.

            RESOLVED: That the Board recommend submission to Council for approval of the projects.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise which offered the opportunity for Members to scrutinise the Referral and Assessment activity and provided an update on issues that impacted on current performance within the Children in Need (CiN) Service for 2010/11.

            It was reported that in relation to referrals there was an increase of 15% in comparison to 2009/10.  It was further noted that 40% of referrals were generated by the Police through the CAVA system.  Pathways had now been developed with the Police ensuring joint working and good examples of practice preventing cases that were not appropriate being referred.

            Members were advised the main reasons for referral were family dysfunction, domestic abuse and neglect.

            The Board discussed pressures within teams of social workers, capacity of work for social workers and how resources were utilised internally in light of the proposed budget cuts for the future.

            Members agreed to receive an update report in six months time and supported the work to carry out further analysis of referrals in order to understand the increase.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     the content of the report be noted;

2)     Halton Safeguarding Children’s Board continue to scrutinise the work of the Children’s Trust in relation to the Team Around the Family and Early and Support Services;

3)     Halton Safeguarding Children’s Board supports the work of the Pan Cheshire Strategic Group in relation to establishing appropriate CAVA pathways once pilots are complete;

4)     an update Report on Q1 and Q2 performance is presented to PPB in 6 months; and

5)     further analysis is undertaken to understand the increase in referrals.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director Children and Enterprise which provided an update on the Compliments and Positive Service User Feedback relating to the Children and Enterprise Directorate.

            It was reported that compliments were previously recorded via the Quarterly Complaints Reports.  Due to the significant increase in compliments from last year it was noted that this report now stood alone in order to provide a focus on the comments provided by individuals and the positive impact that the Council’s services had had on their lives.

            Members were advised that analysis of comments enabled the team to learn from what individuals thought the Council did well. The messages received were set out in the report for consideration. The importance of staff recognising the work achieved by the Team was noted by the Board.

            RESOLVED: That the report be accepted as the mechanism by which the Local Authority is kept informed of the positive outcomes for individuals using the services, and continues to use this to inform and develop service delivery.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise which noted the findings and recommendations of the Young Carers Scrutiny Topic Group that was established to consider the services to young carers and their effectiveness.

            It was reported that young carers were children under the age of 18 who provided care to another family member who had a physical illness and or disability, mental ill health, sensory disability or has a problematic use of drugs and or alcohol. 

            The topic for young carers had been subject to scrutiny since September 2010.  This was because young carers were a vulnerable group given their family circumstances and they could be defined as ‘children in need’ as defined within the Children Act 1989.

            The scrutiny process consisted of Members and Officers within Children and Families Services.  Details of membership and key outputs and desired outcomes agreed were set out in the report for information.

            Members were advised that some of the young carers had commented that they would like a drop in centre.  In response it was noted that provision of this was being investigated.

            The Board discussed formulation of a new strategy which would incorporate issues raised during the scrutiny process and requested that an update report be brought back to the Board in 12 months to consider developments made.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     the contents of the report are noted;

2)     the profile of young carers be raised within the Borough via a new strategy, which incorporates the issues raised during the scrutiny process;

3)     an action plan be formulated and implemented in order to deliver the new strategy; and

4)     the issue of young carers be brought back to the Board in 12 months to review progress and further developments.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Policy and Resources which provided the opportunity for Members to contribute to the development of Directorate Business Plans for the coming financial year.

Members were advised that each Directorate of the Council was required to develop a medium-term business plan, in parallel with the budget, that was subject to annual review and refresh.  The process of developing such plans for the period 2012-2015 was just beginning. 

The Board was further advised that at this stage members were invited to identify a small number of priorities for development or improvement (possibly 3-5) that they would like to see reflected within those plans. Suggested proposals included:

·        Commissioning;

·        Early Help and Support;

·        Narrowing the Gap; and

·        Employment and Growth.

It was reported that Strategic Directors would then develop draft plans which would be available for consideration by Policy and Performance Boards early in the New Year.

It was noted that plans could only be finalised once budget decisions had been confirmed in March and that some target information may need to be reviewed as a result of final outturn data becoming available post March 2012.

The report also detailed the timeframe for plan preparation, development and endorsement.

Members agreed to hold a separate meeting to discuss Business Planning in greater detail. It was agreed that Members would suggest 3 or 4 areas for discussion and bring them to a future meeting held specifically for Business Planning decisions.

RESOLVED: That

1)     the content of the report be noted; and

2)     a meeting be scheduled in order for Members to discuss and indicate priority areas for service development and improvement over the next three years.