Agenda item

Report of the Acting Director of Children and Adult Services

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

The submitted report provided Quarter 2 (July to September) 2020/21 performance information in line with an indicator set agreed by the Monitoring and Co-ordination 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 also outlined that where indicators are reported annually, quarterly updates will not be available.

It was highlighted that there had been a positive decrease in the number of missing episodes that young people in care have had when compared to Quarter 2 2019/20 (from 31 episodes to 18);  100 per cent of children with a Child Protection Plan (CP) and 100 per cent of Children Looked After had been allocated to a qualified social worker; 91.6 per cent of Initial Child Protection Conferences were held within 15 workings, which remains higher than statistical neighbours; year to date no child has ceased to be subject to a CP who had been subject to the plan for two or more years, and the service  continues to positively perform below the target of 5 per cent; 89.4 per cent of children received a statutory Child Protection (CP) visit within 10 working days, an improvement on the timeliness of visits when compared with the same period last year (78 per cent); 93.2 per cent of statutory children in care visits were completed within timescale; and 7.2 per cent of our Children in Care had been placed 20 or more miles away from home as at September 2020 which is a positive performance and below target of 10 per cent.

The areas highlighted for focus were in respect of 22.4 per cent of re-referrals year to date, were repeated within 12 months, above the target of 18 per cent; at the end of September 2020, the percentage of children becoming subject to a CP plan for a second or subsequent time within 2 years of the previous plan ending was 10.6 per cent; the number of Children in Care has increased to 302 by the end of September 2020 and is continually closely managed, however it was reported that delays in children ceasing care have occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, which had kept the number high; and as a result of dental surgery closures during lockdown, 14.9 per cent of Children in Care, that were due a dental check assessment, have had one completed.

Members requested further data in relation to care workers, caseloads and employment turnover; encouraged the positives of virtual contact with children in care; and expressed their concern at the slippage of some targets in relation to Early Help Prevention and the current lack of dental appointments for children in care and the future consequences of this.

RESOLVED – That the performance information reported for Quarter 2 2020/21 be noted.