Agenda item

To receive and consider the Children’s Services Performance Indicators report.

The Committee discussed the Children’s Services Performance Indicators report and the following comments were made:

Dashboard Item 3 – Children’s Social Care Front Door

·           In relation to the number of cases that progressed to an assessment, Adam Davis explained that over the last 18 months it has been difficult to draw trends from the data.  It was noted that the number of referrals went up and down, but the number that progressed to an assessment was reducing, the service was monitoring the data in order to gain a better understanding;

·           In relation to the number of assessments completed in the timeframe, Adam Davis explained that some cases were being closed from Q1, others may be going into court proceedings and could take longer to process, the service was monitoring this.  He stated that it was possible that the target was too high, the service was comparing it to the national average.

Dashboard Item 4 – Child Protection

·           Councillor Mickleburgh noted that the data showed small decreases if compared to the last quarter, however there were significant differences if compared to other quarters.  He suggested including yearly averages in the report, in order to gain a fuller picture of the situation.

Dashboard Item 5 – Children In Care

·           % of children in care who have more than 1 allocated social worker in 12 months – Members were interested to know the trend in relation to this item.  Adam Davis informed that one social worker had progressed to become a team manager, this was a positive career progression as it brought stability and knowledge to the team.  However, as a result, those cases had to be moved to another part of the team and had a significant impact on statistics as the numbers were very small.

Dashboard 1 – Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP)

·           Members asked about the implication of the raising numbers of EHCPs.  Heather Tomlinson confirmed that the numbers were going up, and this followed a national trend;

·           Carol Cammiss stated that a lot of work was being undertaken to support schools and their SENCO coordinators.  She stated that there was intelligence that suggested that there would be some levelling off, however it was a complex picture.  The additional duties and financial implications of the Children’s Act 2014 had not been fully comprehended by Local Authorities and it was a national challenge.  The service was developing a number of strands of work to tackle this challenge, there was not a single solution.

Dashboard Item 2 – Early Help

·           Members asked if there was a reason for the fluctuation on the number of referrals.  Adam Davis stated that the service was monitoring this fluctuation.  It was possible that the increase in the number of referrals to the Children’s Social Care Front Door services had had an impact on the referrals for Early Help. 

Dashboard Item 7 – Children Missing from Home/Care

·           Members were interested to know if the number of children not currently on a school roll was known to the service.  Heather Tomlinson stated that this figure should be known to the service and was monitored by the Local Authority as part of its statutory obligation in relation to children’s education;

·           Members asked how the service tracked children that had gone missing from the school roll. Carol Cammiss stated there was a cross over of different service areas in relation to this issue.  Managed moves were tracked, and schools informed the service if there was a particular worry about a child not being in school.  The service would work collaboratively if there was a concern of risk to a child;

·           Carol Cammiss suggested that Members ask more detailed questions in writing for a fuller response.

Dashboard Item 6 – Care Leavers

·           Members were encouraged to note the high percentage of care leavers who remained in touch with the Local Authority and the decrease in the Not in Employment Education or Training (NEET) percentage. 

RESOLVED That the report be noted.