Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Children, Young People and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Panel held on 10 September 2014.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Children, Young People and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Panel held on 10 September 2014 be approved as a correct record, and signed by the Chairman.

Members are requested to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interest, including the existence and nature of the Party Whip, in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or an affected interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

There were no declarations of interest relating to any items on the agenda, nor any indications that members would be participating whilst under the party whip.

To receive submissions from members of the public which have been submitted in advance in accordance with the Council’s Public Participation Scheme for Overview and Scrutiny.

There were no submissions from members of the public in accordance with the Council’s Public Participation Scheme for Overview and Scrutiny.

To receive the minutes of the meetings of the above Panel held on 24 September 2104 and 10 December 2014.

The Panel received the minutes of the Corporate Parenting Advisory Panel (CPAP) held on 24 September 2014. The Chairman of CPAP advised that Larchwood short break respite care unit had received an Ofsted visit and was judged to be outstanding. SiLSiP activities had been undertaken over the summer and any funds available from Members’ Initiative Funds would be welcomed for future SiLSiP activities.

To consider the attached 2013/14 Annual Report of the Local Safeguarding Children Board regarding the effectiveness of safeguarding and child protection practice in Bracknell Forest. 

The Panel considered the 2013/14 Annual Report of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) regarding the effectiveness of safeguarding and child protection practice in Bracknell Forest. This was a statutory report and the aim was to show the impact of the LSCB.

There was advice regarding data in relation to looked after children and child protection. Alex Walters was the Independent Chair of the LSCB and she reported to Lorna Hunt, Chief Officer: Children’s Social Care. There were two overarching statutory requirements: to ensure the effectiveness of local services safeguarding and child protection practice; and to co-ordinate services to promote the welfare of children and families.

The LSCB Executive was a core decision making group and met six times a year, whilst the wider LSCB Partnership met three times a year. There were also individual Chair meetings with Janette Karklins, Director of Children, Young People and Learning and Tim Wheadon, Chief Executive. Alex Walters produced a report for the individual meetings to show the accountability of the LSCB.

Lead authorities had been identified and the outcomes boxes in the report gave examples of consistency and the effectiveness of local safeguarding arrangements. The role of safeguarding and the LSCB involved awareness raising and work was undertaken with Involve, a local voluntary and community sector organistion. Lunchtime workshop events were held and the voluntary sector was represented on the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board.

There was one serious case review during the period of the annual report but it could not be published at present due to ongoing legal proceedings. Partnership reviews had been undertaken and different methods tested to identify learning. The Child Death Overview Panel was a key requirement and led by Dr Angela Snowling in Slough. There had been good practice as a result of this which was demonstrated in the outcomes box in the report.

The LSCB received regular performance monitoring reports regarding the impact of homelessness. A joint consultation had helped to inform the Children and Young People’s Plan and the business plan going forward. The government was consulting local governments undertaking more serious case reviews. There had been auditing activity regarding substance misuse and domestic abuse.

Child Sexual Exploitation awareness training programmes had been provided for Children's Social Care practitioners, and there were new thresholds for the joint pathways group. The LSCB Conference in 2013-14 had been highly valued by attendees and the cue card had been updated and was popular among partner agencies. The newsletter was continuing to be produced and the policy and procedures group was still ongoing.

A focus on neglect would likely continue and there was a focus on how to provide evidence of ongoing improvement in this area. There had been much co-ordinated work in relation to tackling Child Sexual Exploitation. The impact of parental mental ill-health and the misuse of technology were other areas of focus. The LSCB had a small operating budget and the aim was to increase contributions from partners.

Priorities were listed in the report (minus  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

To consider the above Annual Report.

The Panel considered the Annual Report of Children’s Social Services Complaints 2013-14.

The report detailed complaints and compliments, the statutory complaints procedure, legislation, and the two processes followed. 3.3 of the report detailed the timescales involved in responses to complaints. 2013-14 showed an increase in complaints but some had been deferred as they were being considered in court.

There was a statutory and corporate procedure; the statutory procedure was in relation to the children and the corporate procedure was in relation to the parents. Changes in the way Stage 1 of the corporate procedure was recorded was thought to affect the data that was presented. There was one complaints manager who worked 15 hours a week and there were costs attached to individual investigators.

The findings of the complaints were at page 176 of the agenda papers and page 177 showed the number of complaints received by different service areas. The types of complaints and resolutions were also detailed in the report. Sometimes concerns were expressed but they were not complaints as such and these were addressed to prevent them from progressing further where possible. Page 182 showed details of compliments received which gave a varied range of feedback. Safeguarding received the highest number of complaints but also the highest number of compliments. Training for staff was an ongoing process.

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were made:

• Details regarding nationally comparative results at meeting timescales in response to complaints were not thought to be benchmarked but this could be checked with an attendee of the regional group or the Complaints Manager.
• There was no specific explanation for the spike in the data in the second quarter of 2013-14.
• The Under 11s Team, Disabled Children’s Team and the Family Placement Team worked with adoptive parents and some workers had more involvements than others.
• The Complaints Manager did not receive benchmarking information to indicate how complaints and compliments figures compared to other local authorities. If complaints were declined it was likely to be because they were deferred or they did not meet the criteria for a complaint and the Panel would be advised of the reasons for the declines. If a concern was answered then it would not progress to a complaint. Further information on benchmarking would be sought.

To consider the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the Quarterly Service Report for the second quarter of 2014/15 (July to September 2014) relating to Children, Young People and Learning, giving particular attention to outcomes of Ofsted school inspections and updates on progress by schools on ‘closing the gap’ in attainment, validated ‘A’ Level results, teacher recruitment, and the number of children looked after and in child protection.

Please bring the previously circulated Quarterly Service Report to the meeting.  Copies are available on request and attached to this agenda if viewed online.

Panel members are asked to give advance notice to the Overview and Scrutiny Team of any questions relating to the QSR where possible

The Panel considered the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the QSR for the second quarter of 2014/15 (July to September 2014) relating to Children, Young People and Learning.

The Panel received tabled information on ‘A’ Level exam results, inspection outcomes and teacher recruitment. The number of teachers recruited in Bracknell Forest was growing steadily; 1,064 teachers were currently employed in the borough as opposed to 965 in 2009. The age profile of teachers: 15% of primary school teachers were over 55 years of age and 9% of secondary school teachers were over 55 years. A third of teachers were aged 30 or under and 37% joined as newly qualified teachers (NQTs), some of which were now headteachers.

Headteachers were being encouraged to work part time and to come back after retirement to pass on valuable experience. A third of primary school headteachers were aged 56 or above and deputy primary headteachers had a young profile. There was a good track record of retaining NQT’s and supporting development of teachers including middle leadership training. There was an Executive Headteacher model and currently three Executive Headships in place in the borough pending the appointment of permanent headteachers.

Ten recruitment fairs were planned for 2015; two had been held so far one of which was in Exeter and the contact details of 37 NQTs was gathered to keep in touch with them and advise of job opportunities in the borough. Recruitment managers had been invited to attend and schools could recruit trainee teachers directly at the end of their education via ‘School Direct’ and work with them to provide experience and training.

The Department for Education (DfE) was increasing the number of training places available. In 2015-16, 47% of primary school teachers and 32% of secondary school teachers were obtained via ‘School Direct’. Schools were advised to advertise vacancies as soon as possible. NQTs were highly sought after and grants were offered to train teachers in particular subjects.

The Chairman requested that this information be monitored and expanded to include the gender profile and national figures and trends for comparison for consideration by the Panel every six months.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate (HMI) reports had been released and the findings showed the number of children attending ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools. Many schools had moved from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’ owing to the new tougher inspection regime and Bracknell was lower in relation to the national average. However, 73% of children attended ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ secondary schools in the borough. Bracknell had a low percentage nationally of GSCE results grade A* - C at 22% and the implications of the HMI findings were being considered.

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were made:

• The headteachers of The Pines and Jennett’s Park were due to leave at Easter and in the summer of 2015. There was a national talented leader programme which was promoted by government to recruit a pool of headteachers. There were currently 22  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

The second Annual Report is attached for consideration.

The Panel considered the Annual Report on the Statutory Roles and Responsibilities of the Director and Lead Member for Children’s Services 2013/14.

It was the second year this report had been produced and information was reported against the statutory responsibilities. Key messages and relevant work was being undertaken in relation to outcomes, and the statutory guidance on roles was included at Annex B of the report.

The Chairman suggested the following:

• That it might be useful to bullet point strengths, for example, on page 127 at 2.9 of the report. This could be done in future.
• A comparison in relation to the turnover of staff as it was slightly higher than in previous years, page 130 at 2.32 of the report.
• That the full and correct name of the panel be inserted at 2.36 of the report page 131.
• From page 135 onwards, the action, leading agency and priorities could be added via bullet points. It was clarified that there was more detail in the Children and Young People’s Plan and this report gave a flavour of the work in relation to the statutory roles and responsibilities.

In response to a Members’ question, the following point was made:

• It was predicted that a number of children would qualify for free school meals, so much mitigation had been put into place and parents had been encouraged to apply. The figures regarding this were being monitored.

To receive an update in respect of the working group of the Panel reviewing substance misuse by, and affecting, children and young people.

The Panel noted the Working Group update report in respect of the working group of the Panel reviewing substance misuse by, and affecting, children and young people. A further update was expected at the next meeting of the Panel. The Chairman thanked members of this working group for their contribution.

To consider the Panel’s Work Programme for 2015/16.

The Panel considered its Work Programme for 2015/16. Panel members suggested that the Youth Offending Service was a good idea for a future working group. Any ideas should be forward to the Chairman or brought to the next meeting of the Panel.

To note the Bi-Annual Progress Report of the Assistant Chief Executive.

The Panel noted the bi-annual Progress Report of the Assistant Chief Executive on Overview and Scrutiny activity over the period June to November 2014 and local and national developments in Overview and Scrutiny.

To consider scheduled Executive Key and Non-Key decisions relating to Children, Young People and Learning.

The Panel noted the forthcoming Key and Non-Key Decisions relating to Children, Young People and Learning.

To consider key themes and priorities for Children, Young People and Learning as outlined in the Council’s Draft Budget Proposals for 2015/16.

The Panel considered key themes and priorities for Children, Young People and Learning as outlined in the Council’s Draft Budget Proposals for 2015/16.

The Executive agreed the Council’s draft budget proposals for 2015/16 at its meeting on 16 December 2014 as the basis for consultation with the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, Overview and Scrutiny Panels and other interested parties.  The consultation period would run until 27 January 2015, after which the Executive would consider the representations made at its meeting on 10 February 2015, before recommending the budget to Council.

Attached to the report were extracts from the 2015/16 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme. The extracts were comprised of Revenue Budget Report, Commitment Budget, Draft Revenue Budget Pressures, Draft Revenue Budget Savings Proposals, Proposed Fees and Charges, Capital Programme Report and Summary and Proposed Capital Schemes.

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were made:

• The budget for Independent Reviewing Officers was included in the proposals.
• The grant for additional support for SEN changes finished at the end of March 2015 but additional provision had been made for this.
• There had been a change of responsibility in SEN legislation through the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and the Local Authority had taken on responsibility for the older group. The figures were much higher than the government had anticipated and this had created a funding issue. Buckinghamshire County Council had taken out a case against the government regarding this decision. £1.9 million additional funding was predicted as a result of this decision. Work had been undertaken on modelling and predicting numbers as some young people finished education at 19 years of age and others carried on with further education. Ways of mitigating this were being considered. The Chairman reported that the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning and others had challenged the government’s decision.
• The Chairman suggested that there be a briefing at the next meeting of the Panel on an analysis of how pupil premium operated in schools and what schools were offering as pupil premium.

• Page 18 of the agenda papers stated savings from the Aiming High programme as -£0.108 million but page 31 stated the savings at -£0.106 million. It was confirmed that -£0.106 million was the correct figure.
• If a child was to be placed in, for example, Edinburgh there was a national set fee for adoption of £27,000 which was brought in two years ago. Children could not be placed in Bracknell if they were confidential placements. Placements were sought far and wide nationally.