Agenda item

The Board will consider a report giving key highlights from the latest Performance Monitoring data for the Children’s Service

Contacts:

Ophelia Rix, Head of Service for Children in Care, Care Leavers and Looked After Children

Louise Hallas, Virtual School Headteacher

Gill Addy, Designated Nurse for Looked After Children

Ian Mottershaw, Head of Service –Contextual Safeguarding and Y.E.S, Family Support and Child Protection

The Board considered the latest Children’s Performance Highlights Report in respect of the performance monitoring data for Children’s Services.

Ophelia Rix, Head of Service for Children in Care, Care Leavers and Looked After Children highlighted the following points:

·       The data indicated an improving picture.

·       Collaborative and creative work across the services was continuing. This included working alongside the Virtual School to ensure that these children and young people had access to education and were supported to remain in education.

·       It was considered essential that feedback from young people was used to help shape services and strategy for the future and an engagement session had been scheduled for May. Further reports would be submitted to the Board in due course.

·       The number of Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) had increased, and the service was working to ensure appropriate support was provided to all SGO carers.

In response to questions and comments, it was explained that:

·       An item would be scheduled on the Board’s forward plan to provide comparative data in respect of accommodation and outcomes, including education outcomes, for those children being cared for under SGOs and those who were adopted or fostered.

·       In terms of the improvement of timelines for transitional payments to foster carers adopting the child in their care; agreed transitional arrangements were in place across West Yorkshire. It was considered that these payments did assist with stability and transition and the process was therefore being reviewed to ensure the right outcomes.

Louise Hallas, the Virtual School Head Teacher explained that no new national benchmarking data was available in respect of education outcomes at this point in time. Personal Education Plans (PEP) continued to run at 100% up-to-date with a 99% figure for initial PEP completion within the relevant timescale. This figure had been impacted by issues with just one PEP.

Gill Addy, the Designated Nurse for Looked After Children and Care Leavers updated the Board in relation to the health data, which provided both twelve- month rolling and monthly figures:

·       The rates for initial health assessments completed on time had improved to 85.9% since January.

·       A hybrid telephone/face-to-face model was still in use and this was proving to be successful.

·       Those aged 16+ and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children were seen face to face for initial assessments to aid engagement and understanding.

·       Team capacity was a continuing challenge. A temporary part-time bank nurse was supporting the team. This had helped to ease some of the pressure and the data in respect of the review of health assessments indicated significant improvement.

·       Background was given in respect of the breaches that had occurred in January and February, which were associated with capacity issues or flexibility to accommodate carer’s arrangements amongst other things.

·       The data on dental checks was skewed due to one of the  systems automatically identifying a child as being ‘out of date’ upon reaching the age of one year but some dental practices not registering children until they were one, there had also been a number of  large sibling groups.

·       The monthly data was indicating positive figures for review of health assessments and registration with a dentist.

·       Substance misuse that had a significant impact on daily life stood at 0.87%. If issues were identified then a referral was made to the outreach service. Monthly review meetings took place to ensure that all young people had access to, or had been offered appropriate support.

The report was noted.