Agenda item

Report of the Group Director of People

The Group Director of People submitted a report (previously circulated) to provide  Members with an update on performance against key performance indicators.

The submitted report provided year-end (April 2021 to March 2022) 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 also 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 10.5 per cent of children referred by the end of March 2022 had been a re-referral to Children’s Social Care within 12 months of a previous referral which was below the internal target of 18 per cent; 4.7 per cent of the referrals took over 3 working days to be completed in 2021/22 which was positively just below the target of 5 per cent; 100 per cent of children with a Children Protection Plan (CP) and 100 per cent of Children in Care (CiC) had an allocated social worker; in 2021/22 no child had ceased to be subject to a CP plan who had been subject to the plan for two or more years positively below the target of 5 per cent; 100 per cent of CiC were allocated a qualified social worker and 98.8 per cent of reviews had been completed within required timescales; the number of CiC was 273 by the end of March 2022 with 100 children coming into care and 99 ceasing care during the reporting year and work continues to safety reduce the number of children coming into care; 90.1 per cent of statutory CiC visits had been completed within timescale in line with th target of 90 per cent; 10.6 per cent of CiC had had three or more placements within the previous 12 months and was in line with the internal target of 10 per cent; 74 per cent of CiC aged under 16 years had been in their current placement continuously for at least two years and was positively above the internal target of 68 per cent; 6.6 per cent of CiC had been placed 20 or more miles away from home as of March 2022 below the target of 10 per cent; 90.5 per cent of CiC due a review health assessment by March 2022 had one completed and 83.7 of the children due a dental check had one completed;  23.1 per cent of Care Leavers were Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) at the end of March 2022 which was positively below the target of 30 per cent and 100 per cent were in suitable accommodation.

Areas highlighted for improvement were in relation to 72.1 per cent of referrals screened and completed within one working day in 2021/22 was below the target of 90 per cent; social workers completed 84.5 per cent of the C and F assessments within timescale in 2021/22 below the target of 90 per cent, similar to the same period the previous year; 79.3 per cent of Initial Child Protection Conferences were held within 15 working days from the strategy meeting/section 47 being initiated, excluding transfer-in conferences in 2021/22; at the end of March 2022 the percentage of children becoming subject to a CP plan for a second or subsequent time within two years of the previous plan ending was 7.1 per cent above the target of 6 per cent, however this was a reduction from 9.4 per cent at the end of March 2021; and 82.9 per cent of children received a statutory CP visit within ten working days in 2021/22 and was below the target of 90 per cent.

Members discussed the continued challenge in Foster Carer sufficiency and its impact on the performance data and the challenges around stability.

Members also discussed access to mental health services and direct mental health support and how that lack of provision can be challenged; the work of the Vulnerable Pupil Panel in assessing the challenges across educational settings, some as a result of the Covid pandemic; and the work of the Education Psychology Service who offer a training programme to prioritise return to school and the work taking place by the authority to support school colleagues.   It was also highlighted that a pilot scheme was being undertaken around Mental Health Teams in schools to offer support before any professional counselling service can be assessed and provided.

A Member questioned if there had been a rise in pupils being educated at home and the Assistant Director of Education and Inclusion advised Members that there had been a spike in Elective Home Education (EHE) during lockdown however those numbers had now stabilised but the concern now was non attendance of those pupils on roll and it was agreed that further information and data on EHE/non attendance be supplied to Members of this Scrutiny Committee to monitor.

RESOLVED – That the performance information reported for year end 2021/22 be noted.