Agenda item

Report of the Director of Children and Adult Services.

The Director of Children and Adult Services submitted a report (previously circulated) to provide Members with an update on performance against key performance indicators.

The submitted report provided Quarter 1 (April to June) performance information in line with an indicator set agreed by Monitoring and Coordination Group and subsequently by each individual Scrutiny Committee.

The submitted report highlighted where Children and Young People were performing well and where there was a need to improve.

It was highlighted that 94.2 per cent of contacts were completed within 24 working hours and 0.5 per cent within 72 hours which equates to an increase by 19.5 per cent compared to Quarter 1 2017/18; 94.1 per cent of children in Quarter 1 had a Review Health Assessment completed; 98 per cent of initial Child Protection Conferences were held within 15 working days; 100 per cent of Child Protection Reviews had been completed within the required timescales; 100 per cent of children involved with Child Protection and Looked After had been allocated a Social Worker; and 100 per cent of Looked After Reviews were completed within timescale in Quarter 1.

It was also highlighted that 93.2 per cent of statutory visits of Looked After Children in Quarter 1 were completed within timescale which was above the target of 90 per cent; 9.6 per cent of Looked After Children had three or more placement moves within the last 12 months which was an improvement of 6.3 per cent compared to the end of Quarter 1 2017/18 and in line with the statistical neighbours at 9.5 per cent and the national average at 10 per cent; 100 per cent of Return Home Interviews had been completed in Quarter 1 with 92.5 per cent completed within 72 hours of the child being returned home after the missing episode; and 27.5 per cent of Care Leavers were not in employment, education or training (NEET) which was better than the target of 33 per cent and is a reduction of 4.7 per cent when compared with 2017/18 year end figure.

The areas highlighted that required improvement in Quarter 1 were the percentage of assessments completed within 45 working days which was below the target of 90 per cent at 83.5 per cent but above the England average of 83 per cent; 48.7 per cent of dental health checks had been completed at the end of Quarter 1 and progress against this indicator continues to undergo close scrutiny; and although the percentage of Looked After Children who have been in their current placement for two or more years has improved compared to Quarter 1 2017/18 and is now at 63.1 per cent has still not reached the Council’s target of 65 per cent.

Members highlighted the performance indicator for Care Leavers in unsuitable accommodation which was 5.9 per cent and wanted some clarification on the assessment of ‘unsuitable accommodation’. The Head of Quality Assurance and Practice Improvement advised Members that 5.9 per cent in reality will only equate to one or two young persons and being in custody would be recorded as unsuitable accommodation.  Members requested that future reports provide further detail on why the Care Leaver has been recorded in unsuitable accommodation so that the Committee can be assured that this does not mean the Care Leaver is living in danger or in poor conditions.

Members also expressed their concerns that some indicators were slipping; and the percentage of Looked After Children still remained high and agreed that the performance report for the next quarter needed to provide Members with reasons for this slippage and the impact caused.

Regarding the number of assessments in Quarter 1 that had not been completed within 45 working days Members agreed that they needed assurances and evidence that if an authority is not meeting their deadlines what was being done to address this.

RESOLVED – That the performance information provided for Quarter 1 2018/19 be noted.