Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor Richard Smith.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 11^th October 2024.

That the minutes of the meetings held on the 11^th October 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Committee.

All items were considered in public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No public questions were received.

The Panel will consider a report providing an insight into the Council’s ‘Safety Valve’ agreement with the Department for Education in relation to the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Contact:  Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director (Learning and Early Support)

The Panel considered a report providing insight into the Council’s “Safety Valve” agreement with the Department of Education (DfE) in relation to the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), presented by Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director for Learning and Early Support.

Jo-Anne Sanders highlighted the following key points -

• The Designated Schools Grant (DSG) - was funding given by the government to local authorities, most of which was allocated to schools directly and was  split into three parts: for mainstream schools, the early years and for children and young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).
• The Safety Valve Agreement was an intervention programme from the Department for Education (DfE) which was introduced to assist local authorities with significant annual overspend on supporting the education of children and young people with SEND (the High Needs Block). Kirklees began the agreement in 2021/22 due to having a significant deficit in this area; many other local authorities were also affected.
• Quarterly Returns - were made on a quarterly basis, both financial and to report on the activity that had taken place, including where the authority was on or off track to meet delivery timescales.
• Ambitious Transformation Plan - The report detailed the ambitious transformation plan that was in place before the Safety Valve Agreement, and aligned with its aims.
• SEND big plan - Kirklees had co-produced the SEND Big Plan which clearly set out what would be done and when, to provide support for children and young people with SEND.
• Additional funding of £33.5 million in revenue would be provided by the DfE over the lifetime of the agreement, to clear the historic deficit caused by the overspend, in exchange for meeting financial and transformational targets and reaching a balanced in-year position on its Designated Schools Grant (DSG).
• Capital funding - £8.2 million capital funding had also been provided, which along with additional investment from the Council, was being used to rebuild Joseph Norton Academy and Woodley School and College.
• Funding for ARPs - Capital funding was also being used to fund Additionally Resourced Provisions (ARPs) at mainstream schools.

Jo-Anne Sanders referred to the Appendix where strategies with the biggest impact on children and young people had been outlined. These included:

• Rebuilding the two special schools and increasing the number of places.
• Ensure youngsters were included in mainstream schools.
• Creating more ARPs to support youngsters to be able to be educated locally.
• Commissioning services to wraparound the youngsters, such as therapies.
• Improving the quality and compliance of Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs), within the statutory 20 week timescale.
• Working with schools and social care and health professionals to identify need and provide children with the right support as soon as they need it.
• Creative strategies such as Assistive Technology

The Panel was informed that there were challenges around funding, but that there was strength in the area partnerships such as the Parent/Carer Forum, Health and Education Partners to ensure value for money and the best possible outcomes.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Panel will consider a verbal update on the performance highlights from the latest Children’s Services data report covering period ending September 2024.

Contact:         Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director

                        Pam Allen, Interim Service Director

                        Robert Fordyce for Vicky Metheringham (Service Director)

The Panel considered a verbal update on the performance highlights from the latest Children’s Services data report covering period ending 30^th September 2024. 

Robert Fordyce, Principal Social Worker for Kirklees and Head of Service - Quality Assurance and Practice Development gave a presentation on behalf of Vicky Metheringham (Service Director for Children and Families) and highlighted the following key points –

• Front Door – There had been an increase in the timeliness of screening compared to last year’s figures, at 78%. Further improvements were planned to track the progress, to help strike the balance between dealing efficiently with legitimate referrals and those contacts which need to be referred elsewhere.
• Re-referrals were at 21%, and although this was below the national figure of 22%, the figure was still higher than the Service would like, so a deep dive was taking place to look at the data and assess the reasons why.
• Child Protection Plans - The number of children on a Child Protection Plan had remained stable at 430. The percentage of children who were on a second or subsequent plan was 11%, lower than the national figure of 23%. This was positive, as when children were on plans multiple times it may indicate that the first plan had not been as good as it could be.
• Children Going Missing - There was a further rise in children going missing episodes, which might be due to a change in the recording policy by the Police. The rate of “return interviews” had increased.
• Children Subject to Care Proceedings – The average length of time it took to apply for a court order and have the case concluded was now 34 weeks, compared to the national average of 42 weeks. This was a reduction of 9 weeks from last month.
• Children in Care - The number of Children in Care had reduced slightly, in part because of the reduction in the length of time children were subject to care proceedings. Health performance against all indicators was improving, although there were improvements to be made in dental assessments. Placement stability was still a concern, especially those children with three placements or more in the last 12 months, and improvements were being considered
• Care Leavers - The service was in touch with 96% of Care Leavers which was in line with national and regional data. The number of Care Leavers in Education, Training or Employment had decreased, and additional support such as mentoring had been offered, along with support for job applications and communication with educational institutions.
• Assessment and Intervention Teams – caseloads for social workers were increasing due to staff vacancies in the social work teams. Strategies in places to address this included enhanced oversight of caseloads, providing student placements and apprenticeships, and being part of the Frontline and Step-Up programmes which enabled graduates of other subjects to qualify in social work.
• Initial Child Protection Conference timeliness – this had previously reduced to 73%, but after an improvement plan had been put in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Panel will consider any potential areas of pre-decision scrutiny in accordance with any cabinet decisions relating to children and young people which are on the horizon and receive updates from senior officers in Children’s Services.

Contact:          Service Directors (Children’s Services)

The Panel was informed that an Annual report on School Funding would be submitted to Cabinet in January 2025. Jo-Anne Sanders advised that in February 2025 an annual report would be submitted to Cabinet on the determination of school admission arrangements and policies for community and voluntary controlled schools. The Panel was informed that both Cabinet reports would be shared with the Scrutiny Panel Members for information. 

No items of pre-decision scrutiny on Cabinet decisions were discussed. 

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the Annual reports being submitted to Cabinet in February 2025 on School Funding and Admission arrangements be shared with the Panel for information.

Panel Members who attend the Kirklees Parenting Board, will feedback on key areas of focus considered by the Board, which will be of interest to the Panel.

The Panel discussed the Kirklees Parenting Board meeting, held on 24^th October 2024, which had been a take-over event organised and led by Care Leavers, as part of Care Leavers’ Month. Cllr Itrat Ali, Chair of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel, and Cllr Viv Kendrick, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, attended and provided a summary of the event, which they described as interactive, inspirational and enjoyable. The meeting was attended by providers of children’s services and representatives from the healthcare, education and housing, as well as cabinet members.

Care Leavers presented at the event and showed videos that had they had produced about their experiences. The young people also facilitated small group discussions, inviting delegates to provide solutions to challenges faced by Care Leavers. It was hoped that two of the young people would join Kirklees Parenting Board as members in future meetings of the Board to represent the voice of the Care Leaver.

Items on the agenda included:

• Homes for children
• Health and wellbeing
• Voice, influence and participation
• Learning

The event was successful in bringing together Care Leavers with those who provided a variety of their services, and it was hoped that the event would be repeated next year.

RESOLVED:

That the updates from the Kirklees Parenting Board be noted.

The Panel will consider the agreed areas of focus and activity for the

2024/25 municipal year and discuss the progress achieved to date

and the Panel’s scrutiny going forward.

Contact:  Helen Kilroy, Assistant Democracy Manager

The Panel noted that there were further visits planned over the next few months.

The Panel received an update from Councillor Rylah on a visit to the Care Leavers’ Achievement Awards on 30^th October 2024 at Huddersfield Town Hall which was a celebratory event held for Care Leavers. The evening was inspirational, with speeches from the Mayor, Councillor Viv Kendrick (Cabinet Member for Children) and contributions from some of the young people. The atmosphere was warm and supportive throughout, particularly as the students came on stage to receive their awards. The awards ceremony was followed by a buffet, a magician and an unplanned performance of Kurdish dancing.

Councillor Kendrick raised a concern about young carers and the impact on them of caring responsibilities on their lives. The Panel agreed that this matter could be considered in a future Work Programme.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the progress on the Work Programme and Agenda Plan for 2024-25 and the updates on recent visits be noted.

(2)  That the issue relating to young carers and the impact on them of caring responsibilities, be considered in a future work programme.