Agenda item

The Board will consider a report giving key highlights from the latest performance monitoring data for the Children’s Service.

Contacts:

Joel Hanna, Head of Service, Corporate Parenting and Children’s Residential Services

Vicky Metheringham, Service Director, Family Support and Child Protection

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 setting out the performance monitoring data for Children’s Services which was presented by; Joel Hanna, Head of Service, Corporate Parenting and Children’s Residential Services, Louise Hallas- Virtual School Headteacher,  Tom Clift – Service Manager, Child Protection and Review Unit, Vicky Metheringham, Service Director - Family Support, Anna Gledhill, Head of Sufficiency  and Child Protection and  Benjamin Newsome, Contextual Safeguarding  Service Manager. The following key points were highlighted:

·         To improve the performance indicator for stability there was a focus on early recruitment as well as a recruitment campaign to attract more stability into the team.

·         Kirklees were aiming to address the number of homes that a young person was moved to, through several different routes and shortly a new home was due to open to increase internal capacity.

·         In relation to Looked after Reviews, Visits and Missing, there had been a decline in the number of recorded missing incidents alongside a decrease in timely completion of independent return interviews.

·         Lower numbers did have a greater impact on the percentages, but the decrease in timely returns was predominantly a result of the approach to ensure that return interviews were delivered at the right time, by the right person and in the right way for the young person. 

·         In relation to Looked After Review Meetings, it was noted that 12 requests for Initial Review forms were received by the Child Protection and Review Unit (CPRU) for children to become Looked After in November 2023, relating to 19 children in total. 97.5% were achieved within the required timescales.

·         Independent Reviewing Officers (IRO’s) closely monitored Child Looked After Review timescales to ensure that the high percentage was maintained whilst a clear rationale was recorded on a child’s file if there were circumstances which resulted in a child’s review meeting not being held within statutory timescales.

·         IRO’s robustly reviewed children’s care plans andfrom June 2023 for children New into Care and undertake New into Care case audits. Findings were shared with the area social work Service Manager for oversight, and social work Team Managers.

·         In relation to Children Looked After Education Outcomes, the Virtual School maintained 100% PEPs completion. Improving attendance and the number of children not in full time education were the key areas of focus.

·         In relation to Children Looked After Health Outcomes, challenges in relation to the completion of Initial Health Assessments were replicated across regional neighbours and was highlighted on the West Yorkshire risk register.

·         There was a significant anticipated upturn in IHA completion and work was being undertaken to improve this. The Business Case to consider additional nurse/doctor resource/alternative CLA Health model, which would support the whole team remained under commissioner consideration.

·         It was also advised that older children coming into care commonly had additional support needs and work was being undertaken to explore if more specialist services may be better placed to take on the IHA for this cohort. 

• In relation to Children Looked After Convictions, it was noted that the number of Young People who have been looked after continually for 12 months or more aged 10 to 17 who received a substantive outcome had fallen in comparison to previous year, and it was noted that the cohort of young people with convictions was very low.
• The Disposal Panel continued work to understand the circumstances surrounding the young person and their support needs to prevent them reoffending and becoming criminalised.

• In relation to Care leavers, Kirklees had partnered with North Yorkshire as part of the Sector Led Improvement Partnership and had agreed a focus on the quality of Pathway plans. 
• The strategy was to increase contact through different range of communication methods including a text system to maximise engagement in activities.
• Work had also been undertaken with partners to develop an events calendar with the aim of producing more attractive events and opportunities. 
• In relation to Children in Care and Personal Advisors, work continued with social work teams to ensure young people were allocated Personal Advisor support at 17 and 4 months.
• In relation to Fostering, in November 2023 there were 6 foster carer approvals, 5 were kinship foster carers and 1 was a mainstream (unconnected) approval.
• Though the priority was to increase the number of carers, the number of children placed in fostering was high in Kirklees, split between agency and internal carers.

In the discussion to follow, questions and comments were invited from Board Members, with the following issues being covered:

• The Board welcomed the explanation of the data, noting that the details presented helped to clarify Kirklees’s position.
• In relation to the data around persistent absence it was noted the main cause of persistent absences (PA) were unauthorised absences due to emotionally based school avoidance and lates which contributed to the figures presented. In response it was recommended that a breakdown of the PA data alongside comparison with national data be provided to the Board.
• The Board welcomed the idea of a text system to enable higher levels of engagement in events from young people.

RESOLVED: The Board noted the Childrens’ Performance Highlights Report, and it was agreed that a breakdown of the PA data alongside comparison with national data be provided to be Board.